Caracas.- The acting president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, met this Friday in Caracas with a delegation from the U.S. Congress to evaluate the bilateral agenda, as well as defense and border security issues.
The state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) broadcast images of the meeting between Rodríguez and House of Representatives members Brian Mast, Randy Fine, Kat Cammack, and Jonathan Jackson.
This is the first official visit by members of the U.S. House of Representatives to Venezuela, following the restoration of diplomatic relations last March, after Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on January 3rd amidst a military attack on Caracas and other nearby regions.
The visit of U.S. congressmen to Venezuela
According to state media, the congressmen will meet with authorities from the Ministry of Defense and the National Anti-Drug Superintendency (Sunad) to review bilateral cooperation schemes in the fight against “transnational crime and border security.”
The meeting was also attended by the United States Chargé d’Affaires in Venezuela, John Barrett; the South American country’s Foreign Minister, Félix Plasencia; and the Vice Minister for Europe and North America, Oliver Blanco.
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Last March, Rodríguez received representatives from the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as part of the “peace dialogue” between both countries, as reported by VTV at the time.
“Technical and political” visit
Rodríguez’s press team then said in a note that the U.S. delegation made this “technical and political” visit to Caracas to continue the “roadmap established” between both countries, which prioritizes “direct communication to manage historical differences and strengthen energy cooperation in the face of global challenges.”
Since Delcy Rodríguez took over the Executive branch, a process of rapprochement between both countries began, and the leader has received several high-ranking U.S. officials in Caracas, including the Secretaries of Energy and Interior, Chris Wright and Doug Burgum, respectively.
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This Friday, United States President Donald Trump declared that Venezuela is still not “prepared” to hold elections, but assured that there has been “progress” in that regard.
“Regarding the elections in Venezuela, they are not yet prepared for that. But there has been a lot of progress,” the president replied to the press in the Oval Office of the White House.
The Venezuelan Parliament, controlled by Chavismo, and a group of opposition members, led by former deputy Dinorah Figuera, announced last week that they will begin talks starting August 1st to promote democracy in the country, talks supported by Washington.
