Venezuela and Colombia have announced a new initiative for military cooperation aimed at combating 'mafia' groups along their shared border, LETA reports citing AFP.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated that the goal of these "joint efforts" is to "liberate border areas from mafia groups involved in various illegal activities — from cocaine and illegal gold to human trafficking and rare earth resources."
Petro became the first foreign leader to visit Venezuela after the overthrow of its leader Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military operation on January 3. He met with Delcy Rodríguez, who became the interim president following Maduro's ousting.
"Both countries have taken on the task of developing (...) military plans, as well as immediately creating mechanisms for information exchange and intelligence development," Rodríguez stated.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump supports Rodríguez's interim government, which has opened Venezuela's oil industry to American companies.
Petro sharply criticized the U.S. operation to capture Maduro, which drew Trump's ire, as he accuses the leftist Colombian president of insufficient efforts against drug production.
The summit between Petro and Rodríguez was initially scheduled for March in the Colombian border town of Cúcuta but was canceled at the last minute.
Leftist guerrilla groups involved in drug trafficking operate in the area around Cúcuta. Colombia has long accused Venezuela of financing and sheltering these groups.
