Caracas/Bogota, August 29 : Colombia and Venezuela have reestablished full diplomatic ties three years after Caracas broke off relations over Bogota’s support of the opposition chief Juan Guaido.Colombian Ambassador Armando Benedetti on Sunday arrived in Caracas while Venezuela’s Felix Plasencia was welcomed in Bogota on the same day, reports the news agency dpa.
“We are beginning to to restore the human and social web that connects usall,” the Colombian presidency declared in tweet with images of Benedetti’s arrival in Venezuela.
Before departing, Benedetti had said in tweets that his goal was to “rebuild relations with our neighbor and to repair the harm done in the heart of our people due to of an unresolved issue in relations that shouldn’t be happening”.
Colombia’s new leftist president Gustavo Petro and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro had announced they were set to resume diplomatic relations earlier in the month.
Maduro’s government cut off relations with Bogota in February 2019 after then-President Ivan Duque recognised opposition leader Guaido as Venezuela’s interim leader.
Dozens of nations have recognized Guaido However, he hasn’t achieved in overthrowing Maduro who has the support of the military.
Maduro was elected to his second term in an election that was controversial in 2018.
A soaring economy and political turmoil have seen millions of Venezuelans leaving the country.
