US and Venezuela agree to “improve relations” in resumption of talks, according to Caracas

Delegates from the governments of Venezuela and the United States agreed on Wednesday to work to “gain trust” and improve relations between the two countries after resuming direct talks, the Venezuelan side reported.

Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan parliament and right-hand man of Nicolás Maduro in the negotiations with his opponents facilitated by Norway, as well as Héctor Rodríguez, governor of Miranda state, reported on the meeting on their social networks and announced that the delegations of both countries reached two initial agreements.

The first meeting allowed both governments to agree on “the willingness to work together to gain trust and improve relations,” which were interrupted in 2019, and “to maintain communications in a respectful and constructive manner,” published both political leaders of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

President Maduro revealed on Monday that talks with the United States would resume to address political agreements reached by both governments at a meeting in Qatar last year.

Wednesday’s meeting was “virtual,” said the Rodríguezes, who are not related. The talks take place four weeks before the presidential election, where Maduro hopes to be re-elected after 11 years in power, but where the opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia is favored, according to polls by private firms.

As of Wednesday afternoon, no U.S. government spokesperson or institution had confirmed the Venezuelan officials’ versions of Wednesday’s meeting.

Chavismo promises to respond “with the truth”

Shortly after 3:00 p.m., the meeting had concluded and the meeting served as an opportunity for Venezuelan officials to express their “rejection” of what they called “distortions” of the dialogue process by U.S. spokesmen, they said.

“We warn that we will always respond with the truth. We insist that the dialogue must be limited to what was agreed in Qatar and that in order to continue to recover mutual trust and relations between governments, the principles of self-determination, sovereignty and reciprocity must be respected,” the delegates of President Maduro published.

In June of last year, international media reported on a private meeting in Doha, Qatar, between Juan González, then national security adviser to President Joe Biden, and Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly and a Chavista leader.

Months later, Maduro’s government and its opponents reached a political-electoral agreement in Barbados, in which Caracas and Washington agreed to an exchange of detainees in their respective countries, which included the release of businessman Alex Saab.

Part of the deal was relief from U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, which was finalized last October but reversed this year over allegations of electoral violations.

In return, the United States expected a fair, competitive election supervised by honest international electoral observation bodies. The government suspended its invitation to the European Union electoral mission after the renewal of sanctions against Venezuelan officials.

The United States, then led by Republican Donald Trump, cut off relations with Venezuela in 2019, denying Maduro its legitimate president and recognizing Juan Guaidó, the president of the parliament elected in 2015.

On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel welcomed “good faith” dialogue with Venezuela and insisted that the Barbados deal was “the best path” to restoring democracy in that nation.

The Venezuelan Unitary Platform, which brings together the main opposition parties, described the resumption of talks as “positive” and a “good sign.”

The Venezuelan opposition, as well as spokespeople from the United States, have denounced that the Maduro government has violated some of the commitments made in Barbados.

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