Foreign Leaders Visit Venezuela for the First Time After U.S. Military Action

Xinhua News Agency, Caracas, April 24 (Reporter Tian Rui) Colombian President Petro arrived at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, near the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, on the 24th, where he will meet with interim President Rodríguez. This is the first visit by a foreign leader to this Latin American country since the United States launched a large-scale military operation against Venezuela in January this year, forcibly taking President Maduro to the United States.

The Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the main purpose of Petro's visit is to deepen the cooperation mechanism in areas of mutual concern and to reaffirm the brotherhood between the two peoples.

This visit coincides with the third meeting of the Neighborly Relations and Bilateral Integration Committee, which is being held in Venezuela from the 23rd to the 24th. The meeting aims to strengthen regional integration and promote economic and trade ties between the two countries.

Rodríguez originally planned to make Colombia the first country for her visit, scheduled to meet with Petro in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta on March 13 to discuss border security issues, including combating illegal armed groups related to drug trafficking and the possibility of Colombia importing natural gas from Venezuela. However, the two governments issued a statement on March 12 announcing the temporary cancellation of the meeting due to "force majeure," without specifying the exact reasons.

On the 9th of this month, Rodríguez visited the Caribbean island nation of Grenada. This is her first visit since taking office as interim president in early January.