The presidents of Venezuela and Colombia, Nicolás Maduro and Gustavo Petro, respectively, met this Saturday in Caracas, for the fourth time in private in the last 15 months, to address issues that affect these neighboring nations, including migration and risks of drought.

Around 3:00 p.m. local time (7:00 p.m. GMT), Petro arrived at the presidential palace of Miraflores, after naming his biography ‘One Life, Many Lives’ at the Venezuelan International Book Fair (Filven), in which Colombia is the country. guest.

After the required honors, both leaders watched typical songs and dances from each country and then posed for the national and foreign press for a couple of minutes, before being left alone for their conversations, which lasted almost three hours in the previous occasions.

Petro, in power since August 2022, announced that the event will focus on migration, an issue that covers several countries in the region and has Venezuela as the main emitter, with more than 7.3 million emigrants in recent years. according to data from governments and United Nations (UN) agencies.

Likewise, the Colombian considers it “crucial” to establish an action plan to address a drought, the effects of which will begin to be felt from December, especially in the areas most affected by this phenomenon such as La Guajira, a binational indigenous territory.

The leftist – from the United States, where he participated in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) – is accompanied by his foreign minister, Álvaro Leyva; the president of the state hydrocarbons company Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roa; the Minister of Mines, Andrés Camacho, and the Minister of the Environment, Susana Muhamad, among other authorities of his Executive.

It is the first meeting that occurs after the change of Colombian ambassador in Venezuela, after the departure of Armando Benedetti in the midst of a scandal over power disputes that shook the Petro Administration.