US State Department team visits Caracas to assess possible embassy reopening

WASHINGTON

A US team of diplomatic and security personnel traveled to Venezuela’s capital Caracas on Friday to assess the possibility of resuming operations at the US Embassy, according to a State Department spokesperson.

"On January 9, U.S. diplomatic and security personnel from the VAU (Venezuela Affairs Unit), including Chargé d’Affaires John T. McNamara, traveled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations," the spokesperson, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Anadolu.

A senior State Department official told Anadolu on Monday that the department is “making preparations” for the reopening of the US embassy in Caracas should President Donald Trump make that decision.

Asked if the US is going to reopen its embassy in Caracas, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday: “We’re thinking about it.”

The embassy in Venezuela was closed in 2019 after Trump recognized opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido as president, rejecting Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 reelection as “illegitimate.”

Since then, US responsibilities in Venezuela have been handled by the embassy in neighboring Colombia.

The US carried out a Jan. 3 military operation in Venezuela, capturing President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. Trump said his administration would "run" Venezuela and its oil assets during a transition period.

Maduro and Flores were captured in an early-morning operation on Saturday by US forces, subsequently flown out of the country and on to New York, where they stood trial in an initial hearing over drug and weapons charges. They pleaded not guilty to all charges earlier Monday.