The meeting between Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, scheduled to take place today, was canceled at the last minute.
Venezuelan authorities yesterday canceled a meeting scheduled to take place on the border between the two countries for security reasons.
The meeting would have been Rodriguez’s first meeting with a foreign leader since he succeeded dictator Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted in a U.S. military operation in January.
The planned meeting was to be held at the Atanasio Girardot International Bridge, which connects Colombia and Venezuela.
The meeting was launched by Colombian authorities as an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss issues on their bilateral agenda, including their interests in border security, drug trafficking and Colombia’s potential imports of Venezuelan natural gas.
In a joint statement Thursday, the Colombian and Venezuelan governments explained that the cancellation was due to unforeseen circumstances but did not provide further details and said they plan to reschedule in the near future.
After a scheduled presidential summit was canceled, ministers from Gustavo Petro’s administration traveled to Caracas to maintain diplomatic engagement and avoid disrupting recent progress in bilateral relations.
Their agenda focused on reviving cross-border trade, advancing energy cooperation, including potential repairs to the Antonio Ricaurte gas pipeline, and continued coordination on security issues along their shared border.
The visit was aimed at maintaining the momentum of cooperation as relations between Colombia and Venezuela show signs of improving following Maduro’s ouster.
Venezuela strikes against Delcy Rodriguez regime
Just before the meeting scheduled for yesterday was canceled, protests demanding an increase in the minimum wage were reported in Caracas. An unconfirmed video was posted on social media purporting to show elderly protesters breaking through police cordons during protests.
Rodriguez was appointed acting president this year by Venezuela’s Supreme Judicial Court after the United States ousted dictator Nicolas Maduro, and has served as Venezuela’s vice president since June 2018.
In early March, Rodriguez publicly reaffirmed his government’s commitment to diplomatic dialogue with the United States in an effort to ease tensions following the U.S. military operation that arrested former President Nicolas Maduro.
Featured image caption: President Gustavo Petro attending a cabinet meeting on October 22, 2025.
Featured image credit: @InfoPresidencia via X.
