Overview
- President Gustavo Petro said both governments will file for full membership and will ask Mercosur to lift the moratorium on Venezuela’s participation.
- A binational meeting is scheduled for April 23–24 in Maracaibo to advance the renewed agenda of cooperation.
- Both sides emphasized stepped-up security coordination targeting drug trafficking and armed groups along the shared border.
- Petro noted progress on energy integration but cited U.S. OFAC sanctions as a key obstacle to deeper cooperation.
- Officials announced approval of a binational special agroindustrial free-trade zone in El Zulia aimed at boosting cross-border commerce.