Colombian President Ivan Duque on Monday said that his country and neighbouring Peru are "facing Latin America's worst migrant crisis in recent history".
Speaking to reporters during an official visit to Lima to meet his Peruvian counterpart Martin Vizcarra, Duque called for the end of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's regime to facilitate the return of democracy to the oil-producing nation.
En visita de Estado a #Perú llegamos al Palacio de Gobierno para reunirnos con Presidente @MartinVizcarraC y su equipo de Gobierno. Continuaremos trabajando en fortalecimiento de nuestras relaciones políticas, económicas y culturales con esta nación hermana. #VisitaOficialAPerú pic.twitter.com/zGsxVhIAHP
— Iván Duque (@IvanDuque) May 27, 2019
The United Nations last week said Venezuelans fleeing political and economic crisis at home deserve protection as refugees and urged other states not to deport them.
Some 3.7 million people have left Venezuela, including 3 million since 2015 as the economy has imploded causing widespread shortages and hunger, and anti-government street protests have brought waves of violence and deaths.
Venezuelans continue to leave at the rate of 3,000 to 5,000 a day, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said.
Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra told reporters during a joint news briefing with Duque that the international community had so far failed to address the issue.
Dozens of nations around the world now recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president, saying President Nicolas Maduro rigged a 2018 election and is behaving like a dictator. But Guaido has been unable to remove Maduro, who still has the backing of top military brass.