By Luis Jaime Acosta
BOGOTA, March 13 (Reuters) - Colombia's foreign and defense ministers were traveling to Caracas on Friday, after the postponement of a meeting between Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his counterpart, acting President Delcy Rodriguez, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The meeting was to be Rodriguez's first presidential-level bilateral since she took power following her predecessor's ouster by the United States.
The officials are likely to discuss bilateral trade, which Petro, who leaves office in August, reopened at the start of his term, and cooperation on energy, including an agreement this week to repair a damaged section of a binational pipeline that will allow Bogota to import natural gas from its neighbor.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has supported a series of moves by Rodriguez, formerly vice president, to attract investors in oil and mining and stabilize the country since the January raid that captured President Nicolas Maduro, with Trump repeatedly praising Rodriguez for her cooperation with the U.S.
Rodriguez has repeatedly asserted that dialogue is the way to resolve long-standing disagreements with the U.S., has welcomed the U.S. secretaries of energy and interior and potential investors in Caracas, and the two countries have formally re-established diplomatic ties. Despite this outward cooperation, Reuters reporting has shown the Trump administration is also quietly building a legal case against her to strengthen its leverage with Caracas.
Petro, who had a cordial relationship with Maduro, has had repeated squabbles with Trump, though the two men were each positive after a face-to-face meeting in Washington last month and had a friendly call on Thursday, according to Petro's office, where they discussed the economy along the Venezuela-Colombian border.
Trump has repeatedly demanded more cooperation from Colombia in the fight against drug trafficking and has accused Petro, without evidence, of being an "illegal drug leader". Petro meanwhile, claims record drug seizures during his tenure and has said deadly strikes on alleged drug boats amount to war crimes.
Colombia, home to nearly 3 million Venezuelan migrants who fled economic collapse in their home country, and Venezuela have deep historical and cultural ties, especially in border areas where many families are bi-national.
Colombia recorded a trade surplus with Venezuela of $973.4 million in 2025, after exporting some $1.07 billion in goods like food, tobacco, chemicals, plastics and machinery, according to Colombian statistics agency DANE. Imports from Venezuela totaled $98.3 million and included iron and steel, fertilizer and paper.
The two leaders had been set to meet near a border bridge between the Colombian town of Villa del Rosario and the Venezuelan village of Tienditas, but postponed the meeting late on Thursday for what the countries said in a joint statement were reasons of "force majeure," a term meaning extraordinary or unforeseeable circumstances. They gave no details, saying they intended to reschedule soon.
Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA will carry out the repairs on the Antonio Ricaurte gas pipeline, which has been inactive for years, Colombia's energy ministry said in a Thursday statement.
The pipeline stretches 225 kilometers (140 mi) and has a transport capacity of 500 million cubic feet of gas.
(Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta, additional reporting by Nelson Bocanegra, writing by Julia Symmes Cobb)
