US diplomat Laura Dogu deboards at SimĂłn BolĂvar International Airport in MaiquetĂa, Venezuela, January 31. Photo: Instagram/@usembassyve.
US diplomat Laura Dogu arrived in Caracas as the US government’s envoy to Venezuela, part of the agenda between the governments of the two countries to establish a roadmap on matters of mutual interest and to address differences through diplomatic dialogue in accordance with international law.
The foreign affairs minister of Venezuela, Yván Gil, reported on Saturday, January 31, that US diplomat Laura Dogu had arrived in Caracas, landing at SimĂłn BolĂvar International Airport in MaiquetĂa, La Guaira state.
He added that the agenda includes addressing and resolving existing differences through diplomatic dialogue and on the basis of mutual respect and international law.
For its part, the US Embassy in Venezuela posted on its social media accounts a photograph of Dogu deboarding from the plane at the SimĂłn BolĂvar International Airport, along with a message from the diplomat, “I just arrived in Venezuela. My team and I are ready to work.”
Recently, the Trump administration announced the appointment of Laura Dogu as its new chief of mission for the US External Office for Venezuela that functions from Bogotá, Colombia. The information was released on the US Embassy’s website.
Laura Dogu is a career diplomat who has served in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, in addition to serving as a Foreign Policy Advisor to the US Army Chief of Staff and as Deputy Director of the FBI’s Foreign Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell.
Venezuela and United States have not had formal diplomatic relations since February 2019, when the US government recognized the self-proclaimed “interim president” of Venezuela, Juan GuaidĂł and launched a total blockade against the country. At that time, Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Washington and the US embassy in Caracas was closed. It remains closed to this day, and the US maintains an “External Office for Venezuela” in the capital of Colombia.
On January 16, 2026, the acting president of Venezuela, Delcy RodrĂguez, announced the undertaking of a bilateral cooperation agenda with the United States as part of an “exploratory mission” to investigate conditions for resuming formal diplomatic relations with the US, which she said was part of President Nicolás Maduro’s agenda. She stated that Venezuela would embrace this relation without fear and reiterated the country’s willingness to move forward into an era of mutual respect.
RodrĂguez specified that the diplomatic and economic agenda would prioritize cooperation in strategic sectors such as energy, trade, and finance, with a vision strictly oriented toward the well-being of the Venezuelan people, and based on balance and reciprocity.
On January 27, she confirmed the establishment of diplomatic channels with the US government and a work agenda based on dialogue and mutual respect.
“We have proposed that our differences be resolved through diplomatic dialogue,” she said, and at the same time underscoring Venezuela’s sovereign stance: “The people of Venezuela do not accept orders from any foreign power.”
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/SC/DZ
