Venezuela-U.S. Negotiations: Building Trust Amid Tensions

The Venezuelan government's chief negotiator, Jorge Rodriguez, concluded the first virtual meeting with a U.S. delegation, emphasizing ongoing 'constructive and respectful' communication. Continued talks aim to build confidence despite disagreements over U.S. statements. Discussions included the upcoming Venezuelan presidential election. President Maduro seeks re-election against opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez.

The Venezuelan government's chief negotiator, Jorge Rodriguez, said on Wednesday that the first virtual meeting with a U.S. government delegation had concluded and they agreed to continue working to maintain "constructive and respectful" communication.

Rodriguez said that while continued talks were intended to "gain confidence," Venezuela had expressed its "rejection of the misrepresentations that spokespersons of the U.S. government have published about this dialogue and in a reiterated manner." The new round of talks "must be limited to what was agreed upon in Qatar," Rodriguez said on social media platform X. He was referring to meetings last year of which details on the agreements have not been disclosed in detail.

A White House spokesperson said the two delegations had discussed a wide range of issues including a competitive Venezuelan presidential election on July 28. President Nicolas Maduro had on Monday signaled that the meeting would take place, weeks ahead of the vote, though it is unclear whether the election results will be recognized.

Maduro is seeking re-election against Edmundo Gonzalez, a veteran ex-diplomat who was named the main opposition candidate after other candidates were banned or were unable to officially register. The U.S. reimposed oil sanctions in April on OPEC-member Venezuela, accusing Maduro of not fully complying with electoral guarantees he made in deals with the opposition.

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