New York.- The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, stated in an interview with the American magazine Time that she is not ceding her country’s sovereignty to the United States, months after the capture of the deposed leader Nicolás Maduro.
“I start by acting in good faith and trusting that these relations (between the U.S. and Venezuela) can develop in good faith. My current and future strategy has always been to guarantee peace and tranquility in the country, as well as social and economic well-being,” Rodríguez assured the media.
According to Time, citing officials from the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio oversees the framework regulating Venezuela’s oil revenues and public finances, and maintains almost daily contact by phone and instant messaging with Rodríguez.
Delcy Rodríguez highlights cooperation with the U.S.
Added to this is that last June, Héctor Rustherford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, died during an attack by the U.S. Southern Command coordinated “closely” with Venezuela.
“The important thing is that there are opportunities for joint cooperation, against drug trafficking, for example, and against transnational organized crime. That is very important to us,” noted Rodríguez in this regard.
Furthermore, he highlighted that his intention is to “ensure that the internal policy of another country does not affect Venezuela”.
“I hope that Venezuela does not become a pawn in the political agenda of any other country,” he said.
The interview takes place months after the United States captured Maduro on January 3rd and transferred him to New York, where he remains awaiting the start of a federal trial against him for narcoterrorism.
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Rodríguez told the magazine that he went “through a moment of great anguish” thinking that day that “they had killed the president and the first lady (Cilia Flores, who is also imprisoned in New York).”
Details about what happened after Maduro’s capture
According to the Venezuelan, Qatari authorities helped organize a call between her and Rubio after Maduro’s capture, in which the Secretary of State gave her an ultimatum: “accept U.S. demands or face sustained military pressure.” An advisor contacted by Time stated that “there were no viable alternatives.”
The next morning, he communicated with the U.S. president, Donald Trump, regarding the possibility of re-establishing diplomatic relations between both countries “and what areas of common interest could be identified,” explained Rodríguez.
Thus, since taking office, a process of rapprochement between both countries began, and the president has received several high-ranking U.S. officials in Caracas, such as the Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, or the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum.
In addition, American companies such as ExxonMobil or ConocoPhillips have returned to the country and commercial flights between both countries have resumed.
