President Juan Manuel Santos was inaugurated Thursday, beginning his second term as Colombia's president. 

Santos gave an inauguration speech that touched upon Colombia's ills, as well as a promise to end the country's 50-year war with Marxist rebels. 

Santos said in his inaugural speech that he would work on rectifying the main issues facing Colombians, which includes high unemployment, corruption and poverty, BBC News reports. 

He said the accomplishments of President Alvaro Uribe, his predecessor, paved the way for "a new dawn for Colombia." Santos served as the defense minister under Uribe. 

He continued, saying the former president inspired hope and allowed Colombians to once again move freely around the country. 

He added that it was time for Colombia to move from a policy of "democratic security" to one of "democratic prosperity."

Santos narrowly beat his conservative challenger in the June runoff, painting the choice between him and his opponent as a choice between war and peace. 

While a number of obstacles remain to achieving peace, analysts agree that negotiations launched in Cuba in 2012 offer the best chance of brokering a lasting peace deal. 

Yet, Santos still faces opposition from Uribe, as well as public frustration, as the guerrillas refuse to end their violent attacks. 

Santos said he is willing to engage in a dialogue with Colombia's left-wing rebel groups, but they first have to renounce all forms of violence. 

"To the armed illegal groups, who invoke political reasons and now talk of dialogue and negotiation, I say my government is open to any kind of conversation which seeks to eradicate violence and build a more prosperous, equal and just society," he said.

On Wednesday, a constitutional court ruled that rebels who committed war crimes cannot hold office, precluding senior rebel commanders from becoming part of the political sphere after they give up their weapons. 

Despite the continued violence, Santos said security forces are continuing to battle rebels and drug traffickers. 

Santos also said in his speech that bettering relations with the neighboring countries of Venezuela and Ecuador tops his list of priorities. 

Referencing accusations by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez that Uribe was planning an attack on Venezuela, Santos said "war" was "not his dictionary" in terms of Colombia's relations with neighboring countries. 

After this announcement, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he wanted to "turn over the page" in relations with Colombia, and that he would like to meet "face-to-face" with Santos.  

Chavez severed ties with Colombia two weeks ago, after Bogota accused him of housing FARC rebels. 

While Chavez did not attend the inauguration, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro was in attendance. 

The Colombian president also said that he wants to better relations with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa, who attended the inauguration. 

Ecuador cut its ties with Colombia after the Colombian military completed a bombing raid of a FARC camp across the border in Ecuadorian territory.

Despite past and current tensions with neighboring countries, Santos said that bettering relations with Colombia's neighbors is necessary for the region to have a palpable global influence. 

"Every country in our region has great strength, but together we can be a formidable power," he added.