US formally reopens Caracas embassy as ties with Venezuela warm

By Simon Lewis

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) – The United States on Monday formally reopened its embassy in Caracas, the State Department said, citing “a new chapter” in diplomatic relations with Venezuela less than three months after U.S. forces seized the country’s then-President Nicolas Maduro in a raid on the capital.

President Donald Trump’s administration has engaged with an interim government led by former Maduro ally Delcy Rodriguez, including on an agreement for the U.S. to sell Venezuelan oil, and has issued sanctions waivers to encourage U.S. investment.

The two countries agreed in early March to re-establish diplomatic relations that were severed in 2019 after ⁠the first Trump administration refused to recognize Maduro as the country’s legitimate leader, following a disputed election, and instead recognized ​an opposition ​lawmaker as ⁠the country’s president.

“Today, we are formally resuming operations at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, marking a new chapter in our diplomatic presence in Venezuela,” the State Department said on Monday.

U.S. forces captured Maduro on January 3 after months of ​heightened tensions between the two countries, ​setting ⁠off a chain of changes in Venezuela. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are on trial in New York on drug trafficking charges.

The raid came after the Trump administration said it would reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, but Trump has also cited the success of deposing Maduro as a model for the war with Iran that began last month. The move against Venezuela cut off a major source of oil to Cuba, where the president has also hinted at U.S. military action.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said days after the Caracas raid that Washington would first seek to stabilize Venezuela, then begin a recovery phase where U.S. companies would have access to the country’s energy resources, before finally beginning a political transition.

The Trump administration appointed Ambassador Laura Dogu, a career diplomat with experience in Latin America, to lead engagement with the interim government.

The State Department on March 19 removed a “do not travel” advisory for Venezuela and said Americans were no longer at risk of wrongful detention by authorities there, although it still warns U.S. citizens to reconsider travel due to the risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism and poor health infrastructure in the country.

The State Department said on Monday that Dogu’s team was restoring the Caracas embassy’s chancery building “to prepare for the full return of personnel as soon as possible and the eventual resumption of consular services.”

“The resumption of operations at U.S. Embassy Caracas is a key milestone in implementing the President’s three‑phase plan for Venezuela and will strengthen our ability to engage directly with Venezuela’s interim government, civil society, and the private sector,” the State Department said.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Susan Heavey; Editing by Andrea Ricci )