The United States embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, formally resumed operations on Monday, marking a new step in the Trump administration’s three-phase plan towards restoring democracy in the South American nation.
The U.S. embassy in the Venezuelan capital had remained shut down since March 2019 after now-deposed socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro had Venezuela cut off all diplomatic ties with America.
Following Maduro’s arrest on January 3 through a U.S. law enforcement operation in Caracas authorized by President Donald Trump, a team of U.S. diplomats led by Ambassador Laura Dogu has carried out efforts towards reopening the facility and, on March 5, both countries agreed to restore diplomatic ties.
In an official press release, the U.S. State Department recounted on Monday that since the 2019 rupture, the United States conducted its diplomatic engagement in Venezuela through a Venezuela Affairs Unit (VAU) interim office at the U.S. embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.
“Today, we are formally resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, marking a new chapter in our diplomatic presence in Venezuela,” the press release read in part.
Ambassador Dogu and her team published a video on social media announcing the reopening of the embassy. In the video, Dogu proclaimed in Spanish, “we are once again, the U.S. embassy in Caracas.”
Throughout the video, Dogu’s team explained that resuming embassy operations means that the U.S. government will have a permanent diplomatic presence stationed in Venezuela, which will allow U.S. business leaders to connect with their local counterparts, as well as allowing the diplomats to engage with all political and civil society actors.
Additionally, Dogu’s team detailed that reopening the embassy will create job opportunities and allow to continue rebuilding the facilities to provide consular services in the future and promote the flow of information, exchanges, and connections between our countries.
“Now, as the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, we are beginning a new chapter in our bilateral relationship. We are just getting started,” Ambassador Dogu said.
RELATED: Donald Trump — “We’re in Charge” in Venezuela
“There is still much to be done as we continue to implement the Trump Administration’s three-phase plan. Thank you for your warm welcome and your cooperation for the benefit of both countries. We remain committed to Venezuela,” she concluded.
Following Maduro’s capture, the Trump administration outlined a three-phase stabilization, recovery, and transition towards democracy outline for Venezuela. Speaking to Al-Jazeera on Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that the plan is moving along very well.
“We said it from the very first day after that operation happened. I said our hope is, number one, to stabilize the country,” Rubio said.
“We didn’t want to see civil war. We didn’t want to see systemic collapse. We didn’t want to see a mass migration event. You’ve seen none of these things,” he continued.
“In order for Venezuela to fulfill its economic potential, it has to have a stable democratic government that people are willing to invest in the economy because they know they’ll be protected by laws and legitimacy,” he continued. “We’re well on our way to achieving this.”
Read the full article here