Venezuelan President to meet Colombian counterpart

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. Photo: Internet

(Baonghean.vn)- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 16 that he will have a meeting with his Colombian counterpart, Juan Manuel Santos, on Monday, September 21 in Ecuador to discuss the tense situation at the border between the two countries since August 19.

Maduro's United Socialist Party has closed several major border crossings in recent weeks and also deported more than 1,500 Colombians as part of a crackdown on smuggling and crime by Venezuelan authorities.

According to the United Nations, more than 16,000 Colombians have fled Venezuela since the operation began. Many said they were beaten before returning home. This has sparked a wave of international protests and condemnation from Bogota (the Colombian capital).

This will be the first meeting between the two heads of state since the border crisis erupted on August 19.

“We did it,” a jubilant Mr. Maduro said at an event marking the resumption of the school year in Venezuela. “The meeting will take place next Monday in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.” He also said he was ready to sign a peace treaty.

Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela also confirmed the meeting and said the presidents of Ecuador and Uruguay would also attend.

The border crisis between the two countries erupted on August 19, when Venezuela closed several border crossings in Táchira state, bordering Colombia's Norte de Santander state, after Venezuelan military forces were attacked by an armed criminal group while conducting an operation to prevent smuggling.

Vo Ngoc Trung

According to Reuters