Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced that large-scale military exercises would be held near the Colombian border from 10-28 September. According to Maduro, Venezuela was deploying air defence systems at its border with Colombia for the period of holding the drills. The president stressed that the country was boosting its forces on the border with Colombia amid the threat of Bogota’s possible aggression against Caracas.
“We will send irrefutable information to the United Nations, not absurd speculations presented by Colombia. We will show coordinates, photos, evidence, dates, names and links, terror attacks prepared by Colombia against Venezuela,” Arreaza wrote on his Twitter page.
Relations between Caracas and Bogota worsened amid a political crisis that erupted in Venezuela. In January, the opposition tried to overthrow Maduro in a bid to install its leader Juan Guaido. The attempt failed but the unrest continued with Maduro accusing Bogota of being behind the plot to overthrow and assassinate him.
Colombia has denied the claims. However, Bogota, alongside some other countries, endorsed Guaido as an interim president. At the same time, China and Russia were among the states that supported Maduro as the only legitimate leader of Venezuela.
