Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said Thursday that Bogotá is prepared to grant Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro asylum should he choose to leave power under pressure from the United States.
Washington has intensified its pressure on Caracas and Maduro since last summer, accusing the Venezuelan leader of involvement in drug trafficking and deploying a broad military presence across the Caribbean.
US forces have carried out airstrikes on vessels suspected of smuggling and have signaled the possibility of ground action. Maduro, a socialist president, accuses the United States of seeking to topple him to gain control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.
In an interview with Caracol Radio, Villavicencio addressed the possibility of Maduro stepping aside, saying Colombia would have no reason to refuse him asylum if his departure required relocating abroad or seeking protection.
She added that a transitional government in Venezuela could offer a path to de-escalation in the region but emphasized that any such arrangement must emerge from negotiations between the United States and Maduro’s government.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro echoed this view on Wednesday, saying the time had come for a general amnesty and the formation of a transitional government in Venezuela.
Colombia, like several other countries, has not recognized the results of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, in which Maduro secured a third term amid widespread opposition allegations of fraud. Nevertheless, Bogotá has maintained diplomatic relations with its neighbor.
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