Venezuela Reaffirms Readiness to Normalize Relations With US

Venezuela is still ready for improving relations with the United States, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said adding that that process of normalizing ties would highly depend on the policy of the new US administration.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) – “I will repeat the words of the Venezuelan president, who expressed a call on every US administration to establish and normalize relations with Venezuela on the basis of dialogue, respect and commitment to the international law,” Rodriguez said on the sidelines of the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) that is taking place in the Dominican Republic.

She pointed out that the United States should clarify its position on further relations with Venezuela.

“When the [US] official position emerges, we will also determine our position,” Rodriguez said.

In November 2016, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on then US State Secretary John Kerry to establish a positive agenda of bilateral relations to give impetus to their development during the presidency of the incoming US leader, Donald Trump.

On January 13¸ outgoing US President Barack Obama extended sanctions against Venezuela for another year due to alleged violations of human rights and corruption. The current sanctions were expected to expire on March 8, 2017.

The US-Venezuelan relations particularly worsened over alleged human rights violations during protests in Caracas against the government of Maduro in February 2014. In December 2014, Obama approved sanctions, targeting several individuals allegedly responsible for the human rights violations.