Venezuela and Colombia abruptly canceled a planned meeting between their presidents, with the governments citing “force majeure,” according to a joint statement released by Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry on Thursday. The meeting was scheduled for the following day at their shared border.
The statement did not detail the reason for the cancellation, saying only that the leaders’ meeting would take place at a later time.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry statement also said Colombia President Gustavo Petro maintains his invitation to Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez to hold the presidential meeting. It added that both governments remain committed “to strengthening trust, cooperation and bilateral relations.”
The talks had been set to be Rodríguez’s first official meeting with a Latin American leader since she was sworn in January, following a U.S. military operation that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro. Rodríguez and Petro were expected to address shared interests tied to border security, including the presence of illegal armed groups associated with drug trafficking and the potential for Colombia to import Venezuelan natural gas.
Shortly before Thursday’s announcement, Petro’s office said Petro had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump and wished him “success” in his meeting with Rodríguez.