The US State Department has indicated that they are making “necessary preparations” to reopen the US embassy in Caracas following the ousting of Nicolas Maduro. This information was reportedly disclosed by the Spanish news agency EFE on Monday.
An unnamed spokesperson from the State Department mentioned to EFE, “As President Trump has stated, we are preparing for a potential reopening if the President chooses to proceed with it.”
According to Reuters, a similar statement came from an unnamed official who shared that the US is gearing up to reopen the embassy contingent on President Donald Trump’s decision.
Trump remarked, “We are considering it. We’re being asked to do that,” when questioned by reporters aboard Air Force One about the embassy’s potential reopening.
Bloomberg noted that anonymous sources familiar with the plans stated that the current preparatory work is at an “interim” phase, with considerations for reopening still in early discussion and no final decisions made as of yet.
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Before the rise of Venezuela’s socialist regime in 1999, the United States had maintained diplomatic ties and friendly relations, hosting an embassy in Balta, a municipality within the Caracas metropolitan area.
Nicolas Maduro cut diplomatic relations with the US in early 2019 as retaliation against the Trump administration’s recognition of interim President Juan Guaido, following Maduro’s controversial re-election in 2018 that featured only pre-selected opponents.
In March 2019, all remaining embassy personnel were withdrawn amid the ongoing political crisis and significant complications, particularly following a nationwide power outage.
All consular services previously offered by the now-dismantled embassy in Caracas have been discontinued, and assistance for Venezuelan affairs has since been routed through the US Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia.
Todd Robinson, a former diplomat who led the US Embassy in Caracas, remarked to Bloomberg, “You can manage some interactions over the phone, but there’s truly no substitute for nurturing and rebuilding the relationships cultivated on the ground, both in Caracas and other parts of the country.”
He added, “Reopening the embassy would be a significant advantage.”
