(Adnkronos) – The United States and Venezuela have agreed to resume diplomatic and consular relations. The parties have committed in a joint statement to make common efforts to ensure stability, support economic recovery, and promote political reconciliation. While relations between the two countries have progressively improved after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the announcement of the restoration of formal bilateral relations represents a significant step forward.
The US embassy in Caracas, closed in 2019, has already reopened, and Washington has appointed a diplomatic representative to be sent to Venezuela. Yesterday, the Caracas government expressed its willingness to promote “a new phase of constructive dialogue, based on mutual respect” and hoped for relations that would lead “to the social and economic well-being of the Venezuelan people.” According to sources cited by the BBC, employees from the diplomatic mission of the American embassy in Bogotá, Colombia, will soon be transferred to Caracas.
The US State Department stated that its commitment is focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a “gradual process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.” After a visit to Venezuela, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told reporters on the Caracas tarmac on Thursday, as he returned to the United States, that intervening in Venezuela before Iran was a “brilliant strategic move.”
