The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado stated that Colombia's stability directly depends on what happens in Venezuela, and dismissed the idea that the government of Delcy Rodríguez collaborates in the fight against the illegal armed groups operating at the border between the two countries.
In an interview published by the Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, Machado was emphatic: "There will only be peace and prosperity in Colombia with democracy and freedom in Venezuela."
The leader, who has been operating from Panama after leaving Venezuela clandestinely in December 2025, emphasized that both countries share a "past, present, and future" and recalled that Colombia hosts more than 2.8 million Venezuelans, many of whom wish to return to their homeland.
Machado proposed coordinating the armed forces of the two countries to confront the illegal groups operating in the border area, an initiative that gains significance given that the Chavista regime, according to her, lacks a genuine willingness to cooperate on this matter.
In the energy sector, the opposition leader called for the repair of the Antonio Ricaurte gas pipeline, a 225-kilometer pipeline that connects Colombian La Guajira with Venezuelan Zulia state and has been inactive since 2015. Both governments recently activated a roadmap for its rehabilitation, although repairs are still pending, and the Andean Development Corporation estimates that reactivation requires a minimum investment of 66 million dollars.
Machado described the Colombian president Abelardo de la Espriella —who took office in August 2026— as a "friend of the Venezuelan people and democracy," and stated that a democratic transition in Venezuela would directly benefit Colombia, especially regarding border security and migration pressure.
The statements come days after Machado claimed to have been excluded from the negotiations between the Chavista government and opposition sectors sponsored by Washington. The State Department responded that her party, Vente Venezuela, had indeed been invited to those talks.
The opposition member insists that it is crucial to set a date for the presidential elections. At the beginning of October, she demanded that the elections be held within the next twelve months and supported July 24, 2027, as a possible date. In contrast, Rodríguez's government has only promised elections when Venezuela is "ready," without providing any concrete timeline.
Machado, who has made at least seven failed attempts to return to Venezuela since the end of June, promised to return to the country "sooner than you think," although without announcing a specific date.
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