Colombia–Venezuela relations refers to the

diplomatic relations Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of state, intergovernmental, or non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern Diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. ...

between the South American neighboring countries of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. The relationship has developed since the early 16th century, when Spanish colonizers created the Province of

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

(now Colombia) and the Province of New Andalucia (now Venezuela). The countries share a history of achieving their independence under

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

and becoming one nation—the

Gran Colombia Gran Colombia (, "Great Colombia"), also known as Greater Colombia and officially the Republic of Colombia (Spanish language, Spanish: ''República de Colombia''), was a state that encompassed much of northern South America and parts of Central ...

—which dissolved in the 19th century. Since then, the overall relationship between the two countries has oscillated between cooperation and bilateral struggle.

History

These neighboring countries share a similar history as parts of the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

. The border dispute long predates the foundations of the modern nations, and goes back to the difficulties experienced in shaping a boundary between the colonies of

(now Santa Marta, Colombia) and New Andalusia (now part of Venezuela). During the colonial era the

Guajira Peninsula The Guajira Peninsula (, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, ) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernmost peninsula in South America and has an area of exte ...

—then inhabited by the

Wayuu The Wayuu (also Wayu, Wayú, Guajiro, Wahiro) are an Indigenous ethnic group of the Guajira Peninsula in northernmost Colombia and northwest Venezuela. The Wayuu language is part of the Arawakan language family. Throughout their history, they ...

indigenous group—resisted the invasion of the Spaniards coming from Santa Marta and New Andalusia, a situation which prevented the colonies from delimiting their territories in the area. The Wayuu tribes were finally subdued by the end of the colonial period with the independence of both colonies in the early 19th century. The new independent began formal negotiations to divide the Guajira peninsula in a longitudinal manner. Negotiations failed and the parties asked Spain to intervene. In 1891 the Spanish crown issued a judgment but failed once again to delimit the border because of confusing geographical locations. Since the 20th century the relationship has evolved with ups and downs mostly regarding the Colombia–Venezuela maritime territory dispute over the

Gulf of Venezuela The Gulf of Venezuela is a gulf of the Caribbean Sea bounded by the Venezuelan states of Zulia and Falcón and by La Guajira Department, Colombia. The western side is formed by the Guajira Peninsula. A strait connects it with Maracaibo Lake to ...

. The lowest point in the relationship occurred on August 19, 1987, after the Colombian

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

ARC ''Caldas'' (FM-52) trespassed into disputed waters and then President of Venezuela,

Jaime Lusinchi Jaime Ramón Lusinchi (27 May 1924 – 21 May 2014) was the president of Venezuela from 1984 to 1989. His term was characterized by an economic crisis, growth of the external debt, populist policies, currency depreciation, inflation and corrupt ...

, ordered the

Venezuelan Air Force Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (), is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Etymology The organization is al ...

to the area. The standoff was resolved through diplomatic channels but the dispute remained. The ongoing armed conflict since 1964 between the Colombian government and guerrilla groups has also provoked impasses between the two countries. Military illegal incursions by the two countries' military forces into each other's territory have been frequent since the conflict in Colombia escalated in the 1980s, which subsequently triggered forced displacements in Colombia and into Venezuela. Illegally armed groups also trespassed into Venezuela. Contraband flows from one territory to another depending on supply and demand along the shared porous border of . Illegal products range from gasoline,

drugs A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

and weapons to stolen cars. Since 2002, the relationship between Venezuela and Colombia has fluctuated due to ideological differences between both governments. Relations were cut in 2019, after humanitarian aid was supposed to arrive through the Venezuelan-Colombian border. Venezuelan president

Nicolás Maduro Nicolás Maduro Moros (; born 23 November 1962) is a Venezuelan politician and former union leader serving as the 53rd president of Venezuela since 2013. Previously, he was the 24th Vice President of Venezuela, vice president from 2012 to 20 ...

stated, that it was an open front for a coup. Relations have improved since

Gustavo Petro Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego (; born 19 April 1960) is a Colombian politician who is the 34th and current president of Colombia since 2022. Upon inauguration, he became the Pink tide, first left-wing president in the History of Colombia, recen ...

got elected as president of Colombia.

Chronology

1922–1941

;End of land border dispute In 1939 the Venezuelan government issued a decree imposing a maritime border line from the village of Castilletes in

Paraguaná Peninsula Paraguaná () is a peninsula and tied island in Venezuela, situated in the north of Falcón State, and comprises the municipalities of Carirubana, Los Taques and Falcón. The island of Aruba lies to the north. Bonaire and Curaçao are slight ...

which result in most of the Gulf belonging to Venezuela. The Colombian government reacted to this in the late 1940s asking the Venezuelan government to rectify and draw a middle line in accordance with the

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 169 sov ...

. In 1941 once again bilateral negotiations resumed settling the territorial border, successfully agreeing upon the Venezuela-Colombia Boundary Treaty of 1941, but setting off a new round of differences regarding the maritime territory.

1941–1987

On April 5, 1941, Colombia and Venezuela created the ''Tratado de delimitación terrestre y de navegación de ríos comunes'' (Common rivers navigation and terrestrial

delimitation Electoral boundary delimitation (or simply boundary delimitation or delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries of electoral precincts and related divisions involved in elections, such as Federated state, states, counties or other municipalities ...

treaty).

Secession of Los Monjes Archipelago

On November 22, 1952, the Colombian government renounced its claims over the

Los Monjes Archipelago The Los Monjes islands (Spanish: ''Archipiélago Los Monjes'') is a federal dependency of Venezuela are located to the northwest of the Gulf of Venezuela, off the coast of Guajira Peninsula at the border between Colombia and the Venezuelan st ...

. The treaty was signed by chancellors Esteban Gil Borges, from Venezuela and Luis López de Mesa, from Colombia, with the presence of the ambassadors Santiago Rodríguez and Alberto Pumarejo in the city of

Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the East ...

1987–1991

The ''Caldas'' frigate crisis

Tensions escalated on August 11, 1987, as a result of the Caldas frigate incident, when the Colombian guided missile frigate ''Caldas'' entered waters claimed by Venezuela. The Venezuelan government reacted by sending a fleet of

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it e ...

fighter jets and almost engaging in combat. Once again, on June 20, 1989, Colombia and Venezuela created the ''Comisión de vecindad Colombo-Venezolana'' (Colombo-Venezuelan neighborhood Commission). Colombia and Venezuela then signed the ''Accord of Open Skies'' on May 18, 1991. Both countries also create the ''Comisión mixta para el control del tráfico de estupefacientes'' (Mixed Commission for the Control of Illegal Drugs Traffic).

Combifron: 1994–1998

In 1994 Colombian and Venezuelan government created the ''Comisión binacional de Fronteras'' (Combifron) or "Binational Commission of Frontiers" which intended to exchange military intelligence between the two countries.

1995 – ELN incursion in Venezuela

On February 25, 1995, the Colombian guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN) attacked a fluvial military post, penetrating on the Venezuelan side and killing 8 Venezuelans and injuring 12 Marines.

Chávez presidency: 1998–2012

On April 30, 1998, The ELN guerrilla assaulted the Colombian border town of

Ragonvalia Ragonvalia () is a Colombian municipality and town located in the department of North Santander. History The municipality was founded in 1860 thanks to migration from the neighbouring towns of Chinácota, el Chopo (today known as Pamplonit ...

. After the attacks the guerrillas crossed the border into Venezuela. Venezuelan president

Rafael Caldera Rafael Antonio Caldera Rodríguez ( ; 24 January 1916 – 24 December 2009) was a Venezuelan politician and academician who was the 46th and 51st president of Venezuela from 1969 to 1974 and again from 1994 to 1999, thus becoming the longest se ...

authorized the

Colombian Army The National Army of Colombia () is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, and is the second largest army in the ...

to enter Venezuela and fight the guerrillas.

2000 – Venezuelan military incursion in Colombia

On March 21, 2000, Four Venezuelan helicopters and two airplanes entered Colombian airspace and bombarded an area in the jungle region of Catatumbo, in the Department of North Santander. On April 23, Colombian and Venezuelan governments signed an accord of understanding the issues of population displacement. This in regards to the Colombian nationals displaced by the conflict and crossing into Venezuela. Between May and June 2000, Venezuelan truckers blocked the border crossing between the two countries protesting the lack of guarantees for their safety in Colombia due to the constant attacks perpetrated by the Colombian guerrillas.

2001 – Ballestas case

In February 2001 the ELN commander José María Ballestas, accused in Colombia of hijacking an

Avianca Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...

airplane, was captured in Venezuela but later released causing diplomatic tensions between the governments of

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

and

Andrés Pastrana Andres or Andrés may refer to: *Andres, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Will County, Illinois, US *Andres, Pas-de-Calais, a commune in Pas-de-Calais, France *Andres (name) *Hurricane Andres * "Andres" (song), a 1994 song by L7 See also ...

. Ballestas was later recaptured by Venezuelan authorities and in December 2001, was extradited from Venezuela to Colombia.

2002 – Coup d'état against Hugo Chávez

After the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt toppled Chávez for two days,

Pedro Carmona Pedro Francisco Carmona Estanga (born 6 July 1941) is a former Venezuelan business leader who was briefly installed as acting president of Venezuela in place of Hugo Chávez, following the attempted military coup in April 2002.Rodrigo Granda affair, with the kidnapping in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

of Colombian-Venezuelan naturalized guerrilla member Rodrigo Granda. Granda was transported by his captors to the border city of

in Colombia and taken into custody by the

Colombian National Police The National Police of Colombia () is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Aerospace Force), it constitutes along with them the " ...

on rebellion charges.

2007 – Post-humanitarian exchange negotiation

In late 2007 Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, through his appointed negotiator Piedad Córdoba, contacted Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to facilitate the humanitarian exchange negotiations of prisoners for hostages between the government of Colombia and the

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in ...

. During a private meeting at the 2007 Ibero-American Summit, Uribe told Chávez not to contact Colombian military commanders. Two weeks after the summit, Chávez tried to communicate with the General of the

Colombian National Army The National Army of Colombia () is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, and is the second largest army in the ...

Mario Montoya Uribe Mario Montoya Uribe (born 29 April 1949) is a former military general and commander of the Colombian National Army (), until his resignation on November 4, 2008, following the "false positives" scandal, involving the deaths of 11 civilians at ...

. The issue was reported to Uribe who publicly announced the interruption of Chávez and Córdoba as facilitators.

Operation Emmanuel

While relations between the two governments continued to be strained, on December 27, 2007, Chávez publicly said that he had a plan set up to rescue the three hostages promised to Chávez by the

FARC The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army (, FARC–EP or FARC) was a Marxist–Leninist guerrilla group involved in the continuing Colombian conflict starting in 1964. The FARC-EP was officially founded in 1966 from peasan ...

guerrilla in compensation. This was after Colombian president Uribe decided to end the mediation by Chávez and Piedad Córdoba. Operation Emmanuel used Venezuelan aircraft in coordination with the International Red Cross to fly into Colombia and rescue the hostages from the FARC.

Operation Road to Freedom

In February 2008, the Venezuelan government launched a new operation to liberate four more hostages held by the FARC: Luis Eladio Perez, Orlando Beltran, Gloria Polanco and Jorge Eduardo Géchem all of them former senators kidnapped by the FARC in order to pressure the Colombian government.

2008 Andean diplomatic crisis

On March 1, 2008, the Colombian military launched an attack against FARC in the border area between Colombia and Ecuador, which ended with the death of some 19 guerrillas, including the group's second-in-command

Raúl Reyes Luis Edgar Devia Silva (30 September 1948 – 1 March 2008), better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Raúl Reyes, was a leader, Secretariat member, spokesperson, and advisor to the Southern Bloc of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–P ...

. The attack targeted a guerrilla camp some 1.8 km inside Ecuadorean territory. Colombian president

Álvaro Uribe Álvaro Uribe Vélez (born 4 July 1952) is a Colombian politician who served as the 31st President of Colombia from 7 August 2002 to 7 August 2010. Uribe started his political career in his home department of Antioquia Department, Antioquia. H ...

called Ecuadorean president

Rafael Correa Rafael Vicente Correa Delgado (; born 6 April 1963) is an Ecuadorian politician and economist who served as the 45th president of Ecuador from 2007 to 2017. The leader of the PAIS Alliance political movement from its foundation until 2017, Corr ...

, arguing that Colombian forces had crossed the border during combat in pursuit of the guerrillas. Correa said he would investigate the events and later accused the Colombian government of lying, recalling his ambassador in Bogotá. The Colombian government subsequently apologized for its actions. Reacting to the event, Hugo Chávez stated that if Colombia launched a similar operation within Venezuelan borders he would consider it a ''

casus belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one bou ...

'' and verbally attacked the Colombian president. Chavez ordered ten national guard battalions to the Colombia–Venezuela border and closed its embassy in Bogotá. Chavez also offered his support to Ecuadorean president Correa. On March 9, 2008, the Venezuelan government announced that it was re-establishing normal diplomatic ties with

. Chavez asked Latin American nations and the European Union to remove FARC from their lists of terrorist organizations, which they roundly refused to do. FARC was added to the European Union's list in 2002 after the kidnapping of

Íngrid Betancourt Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio (; born 25 December 1961) is a Colombian-French politician, former senator, and anti-corruption activist. She gained international prominence after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) i ...

, one of the 700 hostages held by FARC as of 2008. In June 2008 Chávez worked to get FARC rebels in Colombia to release hostages and end their war against the Colombian government. Later, he withdrew his support for FARC.

Los Maniceros massacre

In late July, the Colombian government claimed that

AT4 The AT4 is a Swedish unguided, man-portable, disposable, Shoulder-fired missile, shoulder-fired recoilless Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank weapon manufactured by Saab Bofors Dynamics (formerly FFV Ordnance; later, Bofors Anti-Armour Systems). ...

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...

recoilless guns purchased by Venezuela were being used by the FARC. In response, President Chavez ordered most staff members of the embassy in Colombia to return to Venezuela, including the ambassador. Only the "lowest functionaries" were left to staff the embassy. Venezuela halted imports of Colombian cars and banned a Colombian energy firm from Venezuela's oil-rich Orinoco region. The Venezuelan ambassador was later sent back to Bogotá. President Chávez stated that the five anti-tank rockets were stolen when the Colombian guerrilla group FARC attacked a military post in 1995 and took the armaments. However, Colombian newsweekly ''

Revista Semana ''Semana'' (Spanish: ''Week'') is a weekly magazine in Colombia. History ''Semana'' was founded in 1946 by Alberto Lleras Camargo (who would become president of Colombia in 1958) and that folded in 1961. It was relaunched by journalist in 1 ...

'' reported that the attack on the Venezuelan outpost in 1995 was actually carried out by the National Liberation Army (ELN) instead of FARC and that Chávez could not explain how the weapons would have passed from one guerrilla group to another. In addition, former Venezuelan military personnel denied that the rockets in question were ever present in the outpost.

2010 – FARC files

The 2010 Colombia-Venezuela diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between Colombia and Venezuela over allegations in July 2010 by outgoing President

that the Venezuelan government was actively permitting the Colombian

and ELN guerillas to seek safe haven in its territory. Uribe presented evidence to the

Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...

(OAS) allegedly drawn from laptops acquired in Colombia's 2008 raid on a FARC camp in Ecuador, which had sparked the

2008 Andean diplomatic crisis The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off involving the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It began with an incursion into Ecuadorian territory across the Putumayo River by the Military of Colombia, Co ...

. In response to the allegations Venezuela broke off diplomatic relations, and there was speculation of a possible war. The crisis was resolved after

Juan Manuel Santos Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by training and a journalist by trade, S ...

was inaugurated as the new President of Colombia on 7 August 2010, and the intervention of UNASUR bringing together Santos and Venezuelan President

. Chávez told the guerillas that there could be no military solution to the conflict, and Santos agreed to turn over the disputed laptops to the Ecuadorean government. Colombia and Venezuela agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations.

Maduro presidency: 2013–present

2013 Henrique Capriles

In 2013, a new diplomatic crisis erupted because of discomfort expressed by the Venezuelan government of

for the reception of opposition leader

Henrique Capriles Henrique Capriles Radonski (; born 11 July 1972) is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer, who served as the 36th Governor of Miranda (state), Miranda from 2008 to 2017. Born in Caracas, he received a degree in law from the Universidad Católica ...

by his Colombian counterpart

at the Presidential Palace in May 2013. Capriles was on a regional tour denouncing the alleged fraud in the presidential elections of 2013 in which the "successor" of Hugo Chávez had won by a narrow margin. For his part, the President of the National Assembly of Venezuela,

Diosdado Cabello Diosdado Cabello Rondón (born 15 April 1963Vicepresidencia de la República Bolivariana de VenezuelaDiosdado Cabello Rondón, accessed 19 April 2010) is a Venezuelan politician who currently serves as Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace s ...

relate this meeting with an "alleged plot" between opposition sectors in both Venezuela and Colombia to try a c''oup d'état'' to depose Maduro. Bilateral relations were normalized in July 2013 with a presidential meeting held in the Venezuelan city of

Puerto Ayacucho Puerto Ayacucho () is the capital and largest city of Amazonas State in Venezuela. Puerto Ayacucho is located across the Orinoco River from the Colombian village of Casuarito. The city was founded to facilitate the transport of goods past the ...

2015 Venezuela–Colombia border dispute

In mid-late August 2015 a new crisis develops after the government of Nicolas Maduro closed the passage through the Simón Bolívar International Bridge, a border crossing linking Colombia and Venezuela in

Táchira Táchira State (, ) is one of the 23 States of Venezuela, states of Venezuela. The state capital is San Cristóbal, Táchira, San Cristóbal. Táchira State covers a total surface area of and as of the 2011 census, had a population of 1,168,9 ...

state and deported Colombian citizens who were in this state. According to the Venezuelan government, Colombian militias were allegedly involved in an attack on Venezuelan soldiers in the area, as well as illegal activities such as smuggling gasoline and other basic goods. Venezuelan authorities warned that the closure could be extended to all of the bilateral border with Colombia. The crisis resulted in tens of thousands of Colombians living in Venezuela being displaced. In mid-September 2015, Venezuela flew two fighter jets along the Venezuela/Colombian Border.

2018–2022 military concerns, Duque presidency

Following revelations on 5 July 2018 that United States president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

made comments regarding options involving military intervention in Venezuela, options which the Colombian government distanced itself from, former Venezuelan military officer and high-level official

Pedro Carreño Pedro Miguel Carreño Escobar is a Venezuelan politician and lawyer. Carreño has served multiple roles within the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela during the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Career Military career Carreño b ...

stated that if the United States were to attack Venezuela, the Venezuelan military would immediately fire on targets in Colombia. Carreño stated that Venezuelan Sukhoi fighter jets would destroy the seven bridges crossing the

Magdalena River The Magdalena River (, ; less commonly ) is the main river of Colombia, flowing northward about through the western half of the country. It takes its name from the biblical figure Mary Magdalene. It is navigable through much of its lower reaches, ...

in order to virtually divide Colombia in two. Days later on 12 July 2018, the Venezuelan military placed missiles and anti-air equipment on its border with Colombia in

, placing Colombian forces on alert. The

Lima Group The Lima Group (GL; Spanish and , French: Groupe de Lima) is a multilateral body that was established following the Lima Declaration on 8 August 2017 in the Peruvian capital of Lima, where representatives of 12 countries met in order to establ ...

expressed "deep concern" about Venezuela's militarized stance towards Colombia, further criticizing Venezuela's human rights record. A month later, following the 2018 Caracas bombing on 4 August 2018, the Venezuelan government blamed Colombia as the mastermind behind the incident, stating that Venezuela will "hold the Colombian government responsible for any new aggression". Upon assuming the Colombian Presidency on August 7, 2018,

Iván Duque Iván Duque Márquez (; born 1 August 1976) is a Colombian politician and lawyer who served as the president of Colombia from 2018 to 2022. He was elected as the candidate from the Democratic Centre Party in the 2018 Colombian presidential ...

announced that he would not have an ambassador in Venezuela because he does not recognise the Maduro administration. He did maintain that consular relations would continue, as a necessity to discuss border disputes. On 12 August 2018, former Foreign Minister of Venezuela,

Roy Chaderton Roy Chaderton Matos (born August 17, 1942) is a Venezuelan politician, lawyer, and diplomat. A graduate of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, Chaderton is one of the most experienced members of the Venezuelan diplomatic corps. He was foreign ...

, stated that Venezuelans are "more civilized" than Colombians and referred to himself as "part of the Pedro Carreño command" of the Bolivarian government, believing that Venezuelan troops must conquer Colombia and "reach the Pacific, because at last and finally we liberate the countries whose coasts are bathed by the Pacific Ocean...I believe that we...have military superiority". On 19 December 2018, Carlos Manuel Pino García, an advisor to the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia, was arrested outside a restaurant in Bogotá, taken north to Cúcuta on the Venezuelan border, and deported to Venezuela before sunrise the next morning. He had lived in Colombia ever since authorities captured him along with three other Venezuelans on 26 May 1999 at a

encampment in the wilderness in Colombia's Vichada department near the Venezuelan border. The men arrested in 1999 were suspected of collaborating with the FARC, but Venezuela did not cooperate with Colombia's investigation, so Colombia released them. Colombia's immigration agency justified Pino's 2018 deportation by pointing to legislation against activities by foreigners that "threaten national security, public order, public health, or public safety" and claiming that Pino did not have diplomatic immunity. Pino will not be allowed to return to Colombia for ten years, after which he must apply for a visa to enter Colombia. He is married to Colombian former senator Gloria Inés Flórez, with whom he has a Colombian son. Flórez had worked for

from 2014 to 2015 while he was mayor of Bogotá, and she continued to support Petro, who subsequently lost the 2018 presidential election to

. 23 February 2019 relationship were broken.

= Invoking the RIO treaty

= In a tough stance against Venezuela, members of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance decided to invoke the

Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (commonly known as the Rio Treaty, the Rio Pact, the Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, or by the Spanish-language acronym TIAR from ''Tratado Interamericano de Asistencia Recíproca'') is an inter ...

(RIO treaty), which will follow joint actions, including economic sanctions to the use of military force and ending transport and communications links.

= Breaking relations and closing embassies

= On February 23, 2019, Maduro cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia. All embassies and consulates were closed and the diplomats were evacuated. This situation persisted until August 28, 2022, when Colombia and Venezuela restored diplomatic relations following the election of Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

= 74th United Nations General Assembly

= At the 74th United Nations General Assembly General Debate, President Iván Duque Márquez presented a 128-page dossier revealing Venezuela's support of a plot for a cross-border penetration by assisting a criminal network, which is against Colombia. On September 30, 2019, Colombia's defense minister Guillermo Botero summoned the media to divulge evidence proving that Venezuela is sheltering and coordinating with the National Liberation Army (ELN) to plan attacks against Colombia.

Gustavo Petro 2022–present

's presidency began on August 7, 2022. On June 19, 2022, he was elected the 34th President of Colombia. On August 26, Petro asked his ambassador to

to establish all ties with neighboring countries. The phone calls were made during the act of possession. Petro quotes verbatim:"Today, I am inaugurated as Colombian Ambassor Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda to

in the presence of President

. We will work to normalize relations between the two sister countries. Trade, border security and brotherhood with our neighbors will be priorities," he commented on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

. Benedetti assured that one of his first goals as ambassador to Venezuela would be to boost trade between neighboring countries, which would benefit border residents in particular. On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, arrived in

for an official visit to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, where he will meet the country's President Nicolas Maduro. The Colombian head of state arrived at Maiquetia Airport and was received by Venezuelan Vice President Delci Rodriguez. He immediately went to Caracas, where President Maduro was waiting at the main entrance when he arrived at Miraflores Palace, where the presidential palace is located. In the Presidential Palace, the Parada Group formed a glorious path to welcome the

President of Colombia The president of Colombia (President of the Republic) is the head of state and head of government of Colombia. The president heads the executive branch of the Government of Colombia, national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Mil ...

. Next, the presidents reviewed the sector, and the orchestra of the Venezuelan National Youth Orchestra and Choir System presented cultural samples. The presidents will hold a private meeting in the Ayacucho Hall of the

Miraflores Palace The Miraflores Palace (Spanish: ''Palacio de Miraflores'') is the official dispatch and head office of the President of Venezuela. It is located on Urdaneta Avenue, Libertador Bolivarian Municipality in Caracas. History Construction and decor ...

, followed by a meeting of delegations to discuss issues such as open borders, trade, Latin American democracy and Venezuela's accession. American Human Rights System. The Colombian Head of State was accompanied by Chief of Staff Laura Sarabia; Minister of Foreign Relations Álvaro Leyva Durán; Colombian Ambassador to Venezuela Armando Benedetti; Venezuelan Ambassador to Colombia Felix Plasencia and Colombian Ambassador to the Organization of American States Luis Ernesto Vargas.

References

External links

*
Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*
Venezuelan Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Affairs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombia-Venezuela Relations

Bilateral relations of Venezuela