Santos to meet Chavez in October

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Monday announced that he will meet his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chavez in in Caracas in October.

The meeting will be the second presidential summit since Santos took office in August, and will help to continue the warming of relations between the two neighbors.

Santos “gladly” accepted an invitation to visit Venezuela by Chavez, he told reporters.

The Venezuelan head of state said Sunday he hoped to meet Santos “soon.”

The president praised the work of the bilateral commissions on trade and security that were installed after Santos’ first meeting with Chavez in Santa Marta, Colombia.

Santos also congratulated Venezuela on its parliamentary elections held Sunday.

Colombia and Venezuela are in the process of re-establishing diplomatic and trade ties and improving bilateral security cooperation, which was reduced to practically zero under the administration of Alvaro Uribe, with whom Chavez had regular clashes.

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