The new head of the US diplomatic mission to Venezuela arrived in the country on Saturday as relations gradually resume following the ousting of Nicolás Maduro in a US military operation earlier this month.
The plane from Bogotá carrying Laura Dogu, the new US chargé d’affaires, landed at Maiquetía International Airport near Caracas around 3.00pm local time, a diplomatic source told AFP.
Dogu, a former ambassador to Nicaragua and Honduras, was appointed to the position last week. A chargé d’affaires is the senior diplomat in charge of a mission when a full ambassador has not been appointed.
In a message on the US Embassy in Venezuela’s X account, Dogu said, “I just arrived in Venezuela. My team and I are ready to work.”
She was welcomed on arrival by Venezuela’s foreign minister, Yván Gil, who said talks would focus on creating a “roadmap on matters of bilateral interest” and resolving differences through diplomatic dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and international law.
The United States has already sent a team to assess the Caracas embassy, which has been largely unoccupied for the past six years after diplomatic relations were severed in 2019.
Relations broke down when Maduro’s government cut ties with Washington after the United States and other major powers recognised opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president following a disputed election.
Dogu’s arrival comes nearly a month after US forces removed Maduro from power on 3 January. Since then, Caracas and Washington have taken steps to normalise relations, including reopening airspace and negotiating energy exports.
Her posting to Caracas — based on the Venezuela Affairs Unit previously operating from Bogota, Colombia — marks the most significant step in restoring bilateral diplomatic ties.
