Top US envoy for Venezuela arrives in Caracas

Laura Dogu, the top U.S. envoy for Venezuela, ‌arrived on Saturday in Caracas as the two countries gradually resume bilateral relations, broken in 2019 by ⁠Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In a post on Telegram, Venezuelan foreign affairs minister Yván Gil said that her visit is meant to "establish a roadmap ​on matters of bilateral interest" and "resolve existing differences through diplomatic dialogue ‍and through a base of mutual understanding and international law." Dogu, who previously served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua, wrote on X that she had arrived in ⁠Venezuela ‌and that "my team ⁠and I are ready to work."

The U.S. captured Maduro on January 3 ‍and brought him to New York for arraignment in court on narcoterrorism charges. ​Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuela's interim president, has since said she seeks to ⁠move towards "balanced and respectful international relations" with the United States. The two countries have reached ⁠a deal to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude to the United States, and on Friday Rodriguez announced a proposed "amnesty ⁠law" for hundreds of prisoners in the country and said the Helicoide ⁠detention center in ‌Caracas would be turned into a center for sports and social services.