What did the Venezuelan government and the US agree on in resuming dialogue?

• The meeting between representatives of both nations was held virtually | Main photo: EFE

The governments of Venezuela and the United States resumed on Wednesday, July 3, the dialogue process that has been intermittent since March 2022.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, reported through his account on X (formerly Twitter) that the meeting was held virtually with representatives of both nations.

During the meeting, representatives of Venezuela and the United States agreed on the following points:

-The willingness to work together to “gain trust” and “improve bilateral relations.”

-Maintain communications in a “respectful and constructive” manner.

Dialogue between Venezuela and the United States

Jorge Rodríguez said that in this first meeting with the United States, both parties expressed their willingness to work together to “improve relations” between the nations.

“We express our rejection of the distortions that have been repeatedly published by spokesmen of the US government regarding this dialogue. We warn that we will always respond with the truth,” said the president of the AN.

Rodríguez insisted that the dialogue should be limited to what was agreed in Qatar, which took place in parallel to the negotiations between the Venezuelan government and the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), from which the guarantees for the presidential elections of July 28, 2024 emerged.

“(Contribute to) the recovery of mutual trust and relations between the governments of the United States and Venezuela. The principles of self-determination, sovereignty and reciprocity must be respected,” added the official leader.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated the US request that the dialogue process be in “good faith” and reaffirmed the request that the July 28 presidential elections in Venezuela be competitive and inclusive.

Photo: EFE

Diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the United States

Diplomatic relations between the governments of Venezuela and the United States were broken in 2019, when in January of that year the government of former President Donald Trump authorized sanctions once morest the administration of Nicolás Maduro.

In August of the same year, Mike Pompeo, the then US Secretary of State, signed the executive order in which the economic blockade was decreed. That same year, the White House disavowed Nicolás Maduro as President of the Republic, instead recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela.

Both nations have attempted to maintain rapprochement to resume diplomatic relations since a White House delegation traveled to Caracas in 2022 to meet with President Nicolás Maduro.

“I have determined that it is necessary to block Venezuelan government property in light of the continued usurpation of power by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro,” Trump said at a press conference.

Since Joe Biden took office as US president in 2021, both nations have held several meetings in which the issue of sanctions once morest Venezuela, the conditions for holding elections in Venezuela, and the release of political prisoners have been discussed.

On October 18, 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department, in advance of the Barbados Agreement, issued four temporary general licenses in which it alleviated for six months a group of sanctions once morest the country’s hydrocarbon, natural gas and gold industries, as well as removing prohibitions once morest secondary marketing.

In April 2024, the US partially reactivated sanctions once morest the Venezuelan government for “non-compliance” with agreements. This decision sparked debate regarding whether it might influence the increase in the number of Venezuelan migrants entering the country illegally.

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