Venezuela says interim President met US envoy
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Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez has said she is seeking “balanced and respectful international relations” with the US.
PHOTO: REUTERS
CARACAS – Venezuela’s government and the US embassy said on Feb 2 that interim President Delcy Rodriguez met US envoy Laura Dogu, as the two countries gradually resume bilateral relations that were broken in 2019.
The government said in a statement that the meeting took place at the Miraflores presidential palace to discuss “the work agenda between the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the United States”.
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil added in comments on state television that the conversation covered the “common agenda” between the two countries, especially energy, trade, political and economic issues.
He added that Mr Felix Plasencia, a former foreign minister who also served as the country’s ambassador to China, will travel to Washington in the coming days to serve as Venezuela’s “diplomatic representative”.
Ms Rodriguez’s brother, National Assembly head Jorge Rodriguez, attended the meeting, the government said, as did Mr Gil, with whom Ms Dogu met over the weekend after her arrival in Caracas.
“The governments of Venezuela and the United States have set out to advance on a road map to address matters of bilateral interest, through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law,” the statement added.
The US Embassy in Venezuela said on social media that Ms Dogu met Venezuelan officials to “reiterate the three phases that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had outlined for Venezuela: stabilisation, economic recovery and reconciliation, and transition”.
After months of heightened tensions, the US captured Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro in January, setting off a chain of changes in the country, including the swearing-in of Ms Rodriguez, passage of a reform to its flagship oil law and release of some political prisoners.
Ms Rodriguez has said she is seeking “balanced and respectful international relations” with the US, while US President Donald Trump has said the relationship with the interim government is going well.
The two countries have reached a deal to export up to US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) worth of Venezuelan crude to the US.
On Jan 30, Ms Rodriguez announced a proposed “amnesty law” for hundreds of prisoners in the country, a move long demanded by the opposition and human rights groups. REUTERS
