Ivan Duque asks Petro to remain clear on Venezuela, ‘don’t serve Maduro’

Former President Iván Duque announced that he will not attend the Foreign Relations Council convened this Wednesday (August 21) by the Gustavo Petro government because he considers the Colombian president condescending to Nicolás Maduro.

He announced it in a video on social networks, in which he stressed that “the policy adopted by the Colombian government against the Maduro dictatorship is contradictory, remaining silent in the face of arbitrary, systematic violations of human rights”, eager to deprive the people of their sovereignty and the indisputable decision in the vote -28J- in favor of Edmundo González, and even worse to give “oxygen” to Maduro.

Duque urged Petro to take a “clear, unhesitating position and, above all, not to serve Maduro.”

In his view, this means recognizing that the Venezuelan president “is a dictator” and “recognizing the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia as the legitimate president, who must assume government from January.”

In addition, he asked Petro to denounce Maduro before the International Criminal Court.

Petro proposes ‘new free elections’ Colombian President Gustavo Petro said last Thursday that the first choice to resolve Venezuela’s political crisis is his counterpart Nicolás Maduro, and reiterated the importance of an amnesty and all sanctions against the country being lifted.

In a message posted on his X account, formerly known as Twitter, Petro said the idea of ​​a “national front” would be convenient.

“A political solution that brings peace and prosperity to the Venezuelan people depends on Nicolás Maduro. The experience of the Colombian National Front is one that can be used temporarily to help find a final solution,” he wrote.

Likewise, he repeated his advice:

Lifting of all sanctions against Venezuela, national and international amnesty, full guarantees for political action, a provisional coexistence government, new free elections.

“An intra-Venezuelan political agreement is the best way to achieve peace. That depends only on the Venezuelans,” he noted.

In addition, he mentioned border residents and said “they can feel calm. “The border will remain open to promote the shared prosperity of our people.”