De la Espriella clarifies Venezuela reconstruction remarks after backlash

Colombia's president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella has clarified that he never intended to disregard Venezuela's sovereignty after his comments on reconstruction sparked a diplomatic spat. In a public statement on Friday, De la Espriella had said that 'the reconstruction of Venezuela after the earthquake must be done by Colombia, with all that implies,' prompting a swift rebuttal from Caracas.

The controversy

Venezuela's Foreign Ministry responded 'with astonishment,' asserting that planning and reconstruction are an 'exclusive' competence of Venezuelan authorities, and that the government has already activated public companies and the private sector Source: elnacionalve. The ministry's statement, posted by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, called De la Espriella's remarks an overreach.

The clarification

In a press release on Saturday, De la Espriella's office stated that 'at no time was it proposed to disregard the sovereignty of Venezuela nor to substitute the responsibilities that correspond to its authorities' Source: portafolioco. The president-elect emphasized that his words were framed 'from an exclusively humanitarian and regional cooperation perspective' Source: infobae. He added that Colombia's technical, logistical, and human capacities could contribute to debris removal and infrastructure recovery 'if the institutional channels and willingness for cooperation exist' Source: eldiado.

The humanitarian context

The double earthquake on June 24 (magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5) has left 4,333 dead, 16,740 injured, and 17,907 homeless, according to National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez Source: infobae. De la Espriella, who takes office on August 7, insisted that 'tragedies do not distinguish borders or ideologies' and that solidarity should prevail .