Colombian President Gustavo Petro. File photoMEXICO CITY, Aug 7Colombian President Gustavo Petro took the oath and took office during a ceremony at Bolivar Square in Bogotá. , leader of the socialist coalition «Historical Pact». After the president, the vice president, 40-year-old Francia Marquez, took the oath. The hopes of the poorest segments of the population are connected with Petro's presidential term — in the election campaign, he promised them priority attention, spoke about solving the problem of poverty and redistribution tax burden on wealthier residents. Petro's involvement in the urban guerilla (guerrilla war) as part of the April 19 Movement (M-19) in the 1980s is seen as a factor conducive to achieving peace with the rebels and drug traffickers of Colombia. The Gulf Clan, the largest paramilitary drug-trafficking group to date, and other members of the criminal industry have already approached Petro with an offer to lay down their arms after the inauguration in exchange for reintegration guarantees similar to those received by the fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2006. The new president's agenda includes attention to environmental and climate change issues, including a complete ban on the extraction of shale hydrocarbons, reducing dependence on food imports and supporting local producers, increasing education spending, and ensuring gender equality at all levels and in all branches of government. An important change that awaits the country after August 7 will be the restoration of diplomatic and trade relations with Venezuela, which were interrupted in 2019 under Petro's predecessor Ivan Duca. » />The Ambassador of Russia expressed his hope for the development of relations relations with Colombia
