Readout of Senior Administration Official Travel to Colombia

On Tuesday, April 25, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer traveled to Colombia to lead the interagency U.S. delegation for the international conference on Venezuela. While in Colombia, Finer met with President Gustavo Petro. He also met with Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva, Chief of Staff Laura Sarabia, Minister of Justice and Law Nestor Ivan Osuna, and Deputy Finance Minister Gonzalo Hernandez Jimenez to follow up on the recent bilateral meeting between President Biden and President Petro in Washington last week.

During the conference, Finer made clear that the United States remains firmly committed to the Venezuelan people and will continue to work with the international community to support the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in the country so Venezuelans can rebuild their lives. He outlined the United States' vision of a step-by-step approach where concrete actions toward restoring Venezuelan democracy, leading to free and fair elections, are met by corresponding sanctions relief by the United States.

Finer was accompanied by Special Presidential Advisor for the Americas Chris Dodd, National Security Council Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs Juan Gonzalez, and State Department Deputy Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Mark Wells.