The governments of Venezuela and Colombia took a step toward normalizing ties Monday when President Nicolás Maduro hosted an event to welcome the newly appointed ambassador from the neighboring country, a post that had been empty since 2019 over a diplomatic impasse.
Colombian Ambassador Armando Benedetti handed his credentials to Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Carlos Farias shortly before meeting Maduro. He arrived in Venezuela a day earlier after being designated by new President Gustavo Petro, who abandoned his conservative predecessor’s opposition to Maduro and vowed to re-establish relations with his government.
