Colombian President-Elect Initiates Contacts With Venezuela

On Wednesday, the elected president of Colombia Gustavo Petro took the first steps for a normalization of activities on the borders between his country and Venezuela.

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Fulfilling the campaign promises made to his fellow citizens, the Historical Pact leader initiated contacts with the Bolivarian authorities to normalize the bilateral land trade of goods, which has been practically prohibited since seven years ago.

"I have communicated with the Venezuelan government to open the borders and restore the full exercise of human rights on the border," tweeted Petro, who will assume the presidency of Colombia on August 7.

During his electoral campaign, Petro stressed that the Department of Norte de Santander, its capital city Cucuta and the cities of San Antonio de Tachira, and Ureña will not be able to overcome their current problems or develop economically while the borders remain closed. This proposal was very well received by the Colombian population that suffers the consequences of President Ivan Duque's neoliberal policies.

"The decision to reopen the borders between Venezuela and Colombia is the natural response to the situation of two countries that share years of cross-border migratory flows and that have families on both sides of the border. It is not a matter of friendly governments, it is a humanitarian issue," Puerto Rican journalist Luis De Jesus commented.

On Sunday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro congratulated Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez for their electoral victory in an election that transformed Colombia's political history, allowing leftist social and political organizations to come to power for the first time.

"The will of the Colombian people, who came out to defend the path of democracy and peace, was heard. New times are on the horizon for this sister country," the Bolivarian leader tweeted.