President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and Foreign Minister Luis Murillo have been actively engaging with Venezuelan political actors over the past three days to promote compliance with the Barbados Agreement. Colombia has reiterated its respect for Venezuelan sovereignty and institutions, emphasizing the need for free, fair, and competitive presidential elections to ensure citizen participation through voting.
Colombia has expressed concerns about the challenges faced by opposition parties in registering their candidacies, specifically the Unitary Platform and Vente Venezuela. The Colombian government believes that these difficulties could impact international confidence in the transparency and competitiveness of the upcoming elections scheduled for July 28 in Venezuela.
Colombia has called upon all parties to guarantee the conditions for a fair presidential contest and is committed to supporting and promoting democratic strengthening in Venezuela for regional stability. The country joins the international community in emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the current electoral process as a democratic mechanism for decision-making that will affect the Venezuelan people in the years to come.
Colombia stands ready to offer its good offices and continue diplomatic efforts to facilitate democratic solutions agreed upon by the Venezuelan people.