This Tuesday, January 13, the Casa de Nariño will be the scene of a high-level meeting. President Gustavo Petro convened the Foreign Relations Advisory Commission at 3:00 pm, in order to unify positions regarding the most critical international challenges facing the country: the tense relationship with the government of Donald Trump and the chaotic situation in Venezuela.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio will present a report on the current diplomatic management, seeking that the country’s political authorities (including former presidents and congressmen) make recommendations given the panorama of uncertainty in the region.

Agenda marked by the urgency of establishing a direct dialogue with the US.

Although the Free Trade Agreement remains the commercial linchpin, there are deep cracks in anti-narcotics cooperation. In addition, Petro seeks to ratify his rejection of any armed intervention in Venezuela, especially after the recent military actions of the United States in Caracas to capture Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.

Instead, the Colombian president is trying to promote a democratic transition now that Delcy Rodríguez has taken the reins of power in the neighboring country, an issue that generates divided opinions among the attending authorities.

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However, the summit will not be fully attended. Former President Andrés Pastrana confirmed from abroad that he will not attend and, through a letter, launched strong criticism of the Petro Government.

Pastrana urged the president to rectify his policy against drug trafficking and stop supporting what he calls the Venezuelan “narco-regime.” This absence shows the internal fracture that persists in Colombia over how to handle diplomacy in a year where pressure from Washington and instability from Caracas seem to give no respite.

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