Within the framework of the efforts made by the Government of Colombia, headed by President Gustavo Petro, and the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, for the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, The Government of Caracas ordered this Thursday the designation of the new ambassador in the country.
According to Maduro’s announcement, the person designated to lead the reestablishment of bilateral relations is the former Foreign Minister of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Félix Ramón Plasencia, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of his country between 2021 y 2022.
Within the professional career of the appointed ambassador of Venezuela in Colombia, it is also important to highlight his former participation as the person in charge of the diplomatic relations between China and Venezuela.
Currently, Mr. Plasencia worked as president of the International Investment Center in Venezuela.
As specified by the President of Venezuela following the appointment and its announcement, the Foreign Ministry of that nation officially presented the official’s credentials to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, so that the Colombian Government decides whether or not to accept his credentials as a diplomatic representative of the Government of the neighboring country. .
The announcement of Plasencia’s appointment took place within the framework of Maduro’s intervention in a meeting with industrialists.
Relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been broken for four years, when, following the elections in which the Venezuelan president was re-elected, in May 2018, the international community decided not to recognize the legitimacy of said votes, considering that in them the opposition did not have the due guarantees to compete at the polls.
In this sense, the government of Iván Duque Márquez, now former president of Colombia, and who assumed power on August 7, 2018, decided, as of January 10, 2019 (the date on which Maduro began his current term of office) ), recognize as president of that country the then president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who assumed the role of interim president in light of the Constitution of his country.
Faced with the restoration of full relations with the Venezuelan regime, in recent days, and following assuming his constitutional mandate as president, Gustavo Petro Urrego explained that, according to his calculations, these would be restored in the course of the next two months.
At the time, Petro explained that the reestablishment of full relations with Venezuela, understanding the Maduro regime as the government, also implies a gradual process that includes the reconstruction of ties in matters commercial, cultural, social and military.
At the moment, the actions carried out by the national government have consisted in the fact that, through the Foreign Ministry, the corresponding approaches are advanced to initially advance in the reopening of the border.
The Petro government also stated regarding the appointment of its representative before the Maduro government, that this task will only be carried out later in the process of restoring relations at the different levels.
On August 7, the date on which Gustavo Petro was inaugurated, from Caracas, the Venezuelan president expressed his congratulatory greetings and expressed his willingness to rebuild the “ties of brotherhood, within the framework of respect and love between peoples.”
“We must take advantage of this second chance for good, happiness and peace”, The president pointed out from Miraflores, accompanied by his wife, the deputy Cilia Flowers
