Washington: The Venezuelan government said it wants to begin exploratory talks with Washington to restore diplomatic missions, even as the United States launched an initial on-the-ground review in Caracas amid ongoing security warnings.
In a statement, the Venezuelan government said it has decided “to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the Government of the United States of America, aimed at restoring diplomatic missions in both countries.” It said the move was guided by “national sovereignty and the Bolivarian Diplomacy of Peace.”
The announcement came as US officials confirmed that diplomatic and security personnel had traveled to the Venezuelan capital to assess conditions for a possible reopening of the US Embassy.
“As President Trump said, we are making preparations to allow for a reopening should the President make that decision,” a senior State Department official said.
“On January 9, US diplomatic and security personnel from the VAU, including Charge d’Affaires John T. McNamara, traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” a senior State Department official said.
The Venezuelan statement, however, paired the diplomatic overture with sharp accusations against Washington. It said Venezuela had been the victim of “a criminal, illegitimate, and illegal aggression against its territory and its people,” claiming the action led to “more than one hundred deaths of civilians and military personnel” in violation of international law.
The statement also alleged “the illegal kidnapping of the Constitutional President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro Moros, and the First Lady, Cilia Flores,” calling it a serious breach of the immunity of heads of state and international legal norms.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Caracas reiterated its highest-level travel warning for Venezuela, saying the security situation remains “fluid.” The embassy urged US citizens not to travel to the country, citing “severe risks to Americans,” including wrongful detention, crime, civil unrest and limited access to health care.
The embassy said no commercial flights are operating in or out of Venezuela, complicating evacuation options, and noted that all consular services remain unavailable. “The US government continues to be unable to provide emergency services to US citizens in Venezuela,” it said.
The United States withdrew its diplomatic personnel from Caracas and suspended embassy operations in March 2019 amid a worsening political crisis. Since then, Washington has advised Americans against travel to Venezuela and has handled consular matters through the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.
(IANS)
