Washington, March 30 (IANS). The US resumed work at its embassy in Caracas on Monday. Reopened its diplomatic presence in Venezuela after several years of limited engagement.
The State Department said that since March 2019, US diplomacy with Venezuela was being conducted through the ‘Venezuela Affairs Unit’ of the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.
“On Monday, we formally reopened operations at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in our diplomatic presence in Venezuela,” the department said.
Ambassador Laura F. Dogu arrived in Caracas in January to lead the mission. She is monitoring the preparations for the reopening of the embassy and the return of the staff.
His team is doing the repair work of the main building of the embassy. Officials said that this will enable complete return of staff as soon as possible and will also help in resuming consular services in the future.
The State Department described the move as an important milestone in the president’s three-step plan for Venezuela.
The department said the reopening of the embassy would improve the United States’ engagement with Venezuela’s interim government, civil society, and the private sector.
The US Embassy in Caracas was closed in 2019 when relations between the two countries deteriorated and tensions increased. Since then the officials were carrying out their work through the ‘Venezuelan Affairs Unit’ based in Colombia.
Officials said that important services will be restarted in different phases. Work related to visa and consular services will take some more time.
The withdrawal signals that Washington wants to re-engage directly with Venezuelan institutions, civil society and the private sector.
It also shows a big and phased plan of the US administration. The plan aims to stabilize relations between the two countries, restart consular services and further strengthen their presence in the region, after several years of limited contacts and political differences.
–IANS
ABM/DSC
