Venezuela and Colombia Cancel Meeting of Presidents of the Two States Without Explanation

(Patria) - Venezuela and Colombia have canceled a meeting of their presidents scheduled for Friday without explanation, Reuters reported.

It was to be the first meeting of the Venezuelan leader with a foreign counterpart since she replaced ousted predecessor Nicolas Maduro in January.

In a joint statement on Thursday, Venezuela and Colombia attributed the cancellation of the meeting between Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro to "force majeure," a term denoting extraordinary or unforeseeable circumstances.

They did not provide details but stated they intend to reschedule soon.

The news of the cancellation followed a phone call on Thursday between Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump, who wished Petro success in his meeting with Rodriguez, according to a statement from Petro's office.

"The governments of Colombia and Venezuela reiterate their readiness to strengthen trust, cooperation, and bilateral relations by promoting opportunities for development and integration of border territories," the statement from the two countries said.

Petro and Trump discussed the economy along the Colombia-Venezuela border, which was expected to be the main topic of the Petro-Rodriguez meeting, according to the statement from Petro's office.

Trump supported a series of moves by Rodriguez, Venezuela's former vice president, to attract investors in oil and mining and stabilize the country following the U.S. operation in which Maduro was abducted.

Trump has repeatedly praised Rodriguez for her cooperation with the United States.