Colombian president to visit Trump at White House amid Venezuela strife

President Trump will host Colombian President Iván Duque at the White House next week amid the political upheaval in neighboring Venezuela, the White House announced.

The two leaders will discuss “efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela” during the Feb. 13 meeting as well as “strategic partnerships in regional security,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Wednesday.

{mosads}Both Trump and Duque have pressured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step aside by recognizing the leader of the country’s National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, as the interim president.

Colombia is one of more than two dozen countries supporting Guaidó, raising pressure on Maduro to resign.

The U.S. has enlisted the Duque government as a key partner in its efforts, sending food and medical aid this week to the country’s border with Venezuela.

Colombia has received many of the 3 million Venezuelans who have fled their home country due to political and economic unrest.

Duque, the leader of Colombia’s right-leaning party, has positioned himself as a U.S. ally since becoming president last August.