Venezuela’s Rodriguez commits to dialogue in message to Trump

March 7 (Reuters) – Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Saturday that “diplomatic dialogue” with the U.S. was the way to resolve the two countries’ differences, after both governments agreed on diplomatic and consular ‌relations.

“We reiterate our willingness to build long-term relations based on mutual respect, equality, and international law, with a view to promoting a work agenda that strengthens cooperation for the benefit of both countries,” Rodriguez said in a post on X addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump.

The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday that the two countries would formally re-establish diplomatic ties.

Caracas severed diplomatic relations with Washington in 2019 after the first Trump administration refused to recognize Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro as the country’s legitimate leader, following a disputed election, and instead recognized an opposition lawmaker as the country’s president. 

U.S. forces captured Maduro ​in January after months of heightened tensions between the two countries, setting off a chain of changes in Venezuela, ‌including ⁠the swearing-in of interim President Delcy Rodriguez.

The two have since gradually resumed bilateral relations, after Rodriguez’s interim government expressed interest in rebuilding ties with Washington.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Edmund Klamann)