Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado stated in an interview with the AFP agency that the transition government of Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas is gradually dismantling itself by orders of President Donald Trump, as part of a transition process.
“The regime is wounded. Irremediably. And it is dismantling itself. In fact, following instructions from President Trump, they are dismantling their own repressive and corrupt structures. A very important step towards moving towards the transition. But this transition is already underway.”
Regarding her personal situation, Machado reiterated that she plans to return to Venezuela. “Of course I am going to return to Venezuela. That was the first thing I said when I arrived in Oslo. And I have repeated it all these days. Because I left with a mission. I am fulfilling it. If it were up to me, I would have returned days ago, I assure you,” she replied.
Machado, who is participating in the CERAWeek global energy forum in Houston, confirmed that he is promoting investment opportunities in Venezuela, as far-reaching political and economic changes are taking place in the South American country.
“We have been trying for years to convince the world of the realities. The world’s largest oil reserves, the eighth largest of natural gas, in the heart of the Americas, a region without war conflicts. Venezuela has competitive production costs,” he assured.
For her part, the opposition leader explained that the opening of the oil sector, as they are proposing it, would be unprecedented in the country:
a total privatization, with the State as regulator and promoter of foreign investment.
Then, regarding the transition proposed by Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he described that it contemplates
three stages, not necessarily sequential, that culminate in the celebration of
free presidential elections and the formation of new legitimate authorities.
Following that line, Machado reported that she had new contacts with Trump: “Yes, I have spoken to the president again. But of course the content of our conversations is private. Obviously we talked about all the issues affecting Venezuela,” she stated to AFP.
On January 9, after months in hiding, María Corina Machado was detained for several hours when she reappeared in public; she denounced having been a victim of
violence and coercion, although the authorities denied it and international organizations confirmed the detention.
Throughout his career, he has faced legal proceedings, mobility restrictions, aggressions in public events and threats, in addition to actively participating in mass mobilizations and meetings with international figures.
She envisions a political transition in Venezuela based on the participation of all of society and on the construction of broad consensus, with the aim of ensuring an inclusive and structured process for the country.
Regarding his future role, he plans to contribute to the country where it is most needed and participate in the upcoming political processes. “A force has been built that has united us, which goes far beyond an electoral campaign. And of course I will be in that electoral process. And of course Venezuelans will freely decide who they want. And I will serve my country where I can be most useful,” he added.
In parallel to the transition process,
Caracas is promoting diplomatic efforts to rebuild the bilateral relationship with the United States.
A delegation of Venezuelan diplomats will travel to Washington to begin the normalization of relations, broken since 2019, and assume the restoration of consular services, administrative attention and coordination of procedures with the State Department.
The objective is to install the Venezuelan diplomatic representation in the U.S. capital, reactivate the issuance of passports, travel documents and legalizations, and re-establish attention to the Venezuelan community residing in the United States.
The head of the Chavista regime,
Delcy Rodríguez, announced: “This week the delegation of diplomats who will assume the beginning of this new stage of relations and diplomatic, political dialogue between our Governments will be leaving for Washington.”
The trip coincides with the entry into force of
General License 53, issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which enables U.S. institutions and providers to offer services to Venezuelan diplomatic missions.
This provision authorizes the opening of current accounts, processing of transfers, payment of payroll, and acquisition of basic services for the operation of the embassy and consulates.
The scheme seeks to ensure that diplomatic representations cover basic operational needs in an environment still conditioned by sanctions. It also contemplates the possibility of officials and their families accessing goods and services for personal use, without commercial purposes.
The beginning of this new stage coincides with Caracas’ efforts to request the lifting of restrictions. Delcy Rodríguez emphasized: “we have asked President Trump for investors, not only for Venezuela, that there are no sanctions against Venezuela, against its economy”, during a meeting with investors broadcast by Venezolana de Televisión.
Meanwhile, the judicial situation of
Nicolás Maduro maintains a central role. The former dictator will appear again this week in a New York court, facing serious charges.
Both he and his closest circle, including Cilia Flores, remain under the supervision of the United States justice system.
