New US envoy to Venezuela arrives in Caracas as administration aims to reopen embassy

By Kaanita Iyer, CNN

(CNN) — Laura F. Dogu, the United States’ new top envoy to Venezuela, arrived in Caracas on Saturday as the Trump administration aims to reopen an embassy there for the first time in nearly seven years.

“I just arrived in Venezuela. My team and I are ready to work,” Dogu said in a social media post. It included two photos of the new envoy getting off a plane and walking on the tarmac.

In response to a request for comment on how long Dogu will be staying in the country, a State Department official said, “She will work with individuals from the private and public sector, as well as civic society, to advance the President and Secretary’s three-phased plan for Venezuela.”

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yván Gil Pinto celebrated Dogu’s arrival, saying in a social media post that he welcomes her “as part of the working agenda” between the US and Venezuela governments “aimed at establishing a roadmap for work on matters of bilateral interest, as well as addressing and resolving existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law.”

Dogu is the chargé d’affaires to the US Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is based in Colombia.

Her arrival in Caracas marks a significant public step towards the restoration of US-Venezuela relations. The US withdrew its diplomats and suspended operations at the embassy in Caracas in 2019. Earlier this month, a US State Department team traveled to Venezuela for the first time since Nicolás Maduro was captured, according to a US official.

Her arrival also comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Senate hearing on Wednesday that Dogu would “ultimately” lead from Caracas and that the US would establish a diplomatic presence in Venezuela “very quickly.”

Earlier this week, the State Department informed Congress that it plans to use a “phased approach” to potentially resume services at the embassy, which could include opening a temporary facility.

The CIA is also working to establish a permanent US presence on the ground in Venezuela, CNN exclusively reported earlier this week.

Following the capture of Maduro earlier this month, the US has looked to establish and expand its footprint in the country. President Donald Trump said in the aftermath of Maduro’s ouster that his administration would “run” the country and assert control over its oil production.

Trump said Thursday that the US would be “opening up” the commercial airspace above Venezuela, even though it is not technically considered closed.

Venezuela’s acting government, led by former Maduro deputy Delcy Rodríguez, has recently made moves favorable to Washington, including approving a law change that will make it easier for foreign companies to take part in the country’s oil industry.

Rodríguez this week also proposed an amnesty law that could lead to the release of hundreds of political prisoners and announced the closure of a notorious detention center. US authorities said the same day that Venezuela had released all known US citizens held in the country. The Trump administration has demanded the release of all political prisoners.

Dogu is a veteran diplomat who previously served as the ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua. She also currently serves as a foreign policy advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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CNN’s Dalia Abdelwahab, Jennifer Hansler, Stefano Pozzebon and Uriel Blanco contributed to this report.