Gustavo Petro will meet with the presidents of France and Argentina, as well as with the delegates of the ruling party and the opposition of Venezuela, to discuss the political panorama of the neighboring country and the paths that may lead to holding an election with guarantees in the coming year -2024 -, and showed willingness for Colombia to host that conversation.
“It is one more mediation meeting with the president of France and the Latin American countries. A delegation from the government and the Venezuelan opposition will be present there, and the intention is to reacclimate a process that allows a democratic agreement to be reached through dialogue between the different factions of Venezuelan society,” said the President Petro.
The president mentioned that Colombia could be the new place to hold the summit, and that “the Colombian territory is ready for dialogue.” ”In fact, Venezuela is the guarantor of the two peace processes that are taking place and has also been a territorial space for dialogue. To that extent, we are willing to make room for a democratic dialogue on Venezuela,” Petro said.
He confirmed the attendance of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador at the summit of Latin American countries on drugs on September 7 in Cali. “It is the moment to evaluate and it is the moment to propose new perhaps more effective strategies, so Mexico and Colombia, which have been deep victims of this type of policy, have every right to meet,” Petro said in this regard.
The president is part of the members of the III Summit of Heads of State and Government EU-Celac, which is held in Brussels, and carries as government flags issues such as: total peace, clean energy, the proposal to exchange debt for climate action and the fight against poverty.
Petro arrived on Saturday, July 15, at the airport in the Belgian capital accompanied by the Foreign Minister, Álvaro Leyva, and the Minister of Mines, Irene Vélez, and of Commerce, Germán Umañana.
“The III EU-CELAC Summit, in Brussels, is projected as a historic occasion to bring together European, Latin American and Caribbean leaders, in order to renew and strengthen relations between the two regions, after almost a decade of absence from bi-regional dialogue at the highest political level,” the Presidency reported in a statement.
Colombia is expected to take the reins of the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) in 2025 and host the next summit.
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“This fact constitutes a recognition of the leadership of President Gustavo Petro for his efforts aimed at the regional integration of Latin America and the Caribbean, the green transition, regional energy interconnection and integration, the fight against climate change and its financing, the new approach to the problem of drugs, migration and food and health sovereignty, among others”, considered the Presidency.
Colombia wants to bring the potential “of Latin America and the Caribbean in the production and export of clean energy, such as green hydrogen, and to encourage the European Union to become a strategic partner of the region.”
But Petro will also speak, as he has been doing in international forums, about the decarbonization of economies and the reduction of dependence on fossil fuels and will insist on proposals such as the debt swap for climate action so that countries of Latin America and the Caribbean better access to financing resources to face this challenge.
president’s agenda
After being received by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, he took part in the opening of the summit and the first Plenary.
On Tuesday, July 18, Petro will participate in the Forum of Progressive Leaders, which will be held at the Sofitel Hotel, at the invitation of the European Socialist Party (PES) and which is expected to be attended by representatives of Spain, Germany, Portugal, Malta, Denmark, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
That same day, he will also speak at the round table “Facing climate change: towards a fair and sustainable transition” of the III EU-CELAC Summit and will speak during the second plenary session where “he will refer, among other topics, to the nomination of Colombia to exercise the Pro Tempore Presidency of CELAC 2025″, informed the Presidency.
As reported by EFE, before the president returns to Colombian soil, he will offer a press conference to the media, and he is also expected to hold several bilateral meetings with other EU and Latin American leaders and with Von der Leyen. with Infobae
