The Daily Journal — Colombia’s president said Bogotá discussed the situation in Venezuela during his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and stressed that developments in the neighboring country have direct consequences for Colombia.
The president said Venezuela “is not a distant issue” for Colombia, particularly because the two countries share more than 2,000 kilometers of border.
“Everything that happens in Venezuela has direct consequences for Colombia,” he said, listing security, migration, drug trafficking, smuggling, the activities of armed groups and the energy sector among the main areas affected.
In this context, he said Colombia will work alongside the United States on initiatives to preserve regional stability and announced deeper bilateral cooperation on border issues, migration and security.
“Colombia will responsibly participate with the United States in efforts aimed at ensuring regional stability and will deepen cooperation on border issues, migration and security,” he said.
The president added that Bogotá’s position seeks to ensure that any developments in Venezuela help preserve stability and institutional order.
“Our interest, Mr. Secretary, is to help ensure that any developments lead to stability, strong institutions and security, while preventing any problems,” he said.
