The United States government announced this Tuesday that it will relax some of the sanctions imposed against the rulers and state institutions of Venezuela.
The Joe Biden government will authorize the US oil company Chevron to initiate negotiations with the Venezuelan state-owned PDVSA, a high-ranking US official who requested anonymity reported in a call with journalists.
“The Treasury, with the help of the State Department, issued a license that authorizes Chevron to negotiate the terms of possible future activities in Venezuela. It does not allow the conclusion of any agreement with PDVSA or any other activity that involves PDVSA or the Venezuelan oil sector,” said the official.
“So, fundamentally, what they are doing is letting people talk,” he added.
The sanctions were imposed by the government of Donald Trump as of 2019 and included the prohibition of trading Venezuelan Treasury bonds in US financial markets or doing business with PDVSA . They also targeted Venezuelan officials, whose assets in the US were frozen.
Chevron is the only US oil company that maintains a presence in Venezuela, a country with the largest crude oil reserves in the world.
Oil has risen worldwide in recent months, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Weeks later, the US government began a dialogue with the government of Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and, as the president hinted, the problem of rising oil prices in the context of the conflict in Ukraine and the veto on Russian crude oil production was then on the table.
- Maduro confirms meeting with emissaries from the US. While the Venezuelan Oil Chamber says they can increase production to replace Russian crude
This Tuesday’s measure, the US said, was decided in consultation with the Venezuelan opposition and seeks to encourage dialogue between the government and its political rivals.
“USA is taking a series of measures at the request of the interim Venezuelan government (represented by the opposition Juan Guaidó) and the Unitary Platform of opposition parties that negotiate with the Venezuelan regime, to support its decision to return to the negotiating table in the City of Mexico,” the official said.
Guaidó proclaimed himself “interim president” of Venezuela in 2019 and he was recognized as such by more than 50 countries, although he never took power away from Maduro. Two years later, the European Union withdrew its support, while the White House maintains its recognition.
The Venezuelan government and opposition began a dialogue in Mexico in August last year at the request of a Norway’s proposal, in a new attempt to solve the political, economic and social crisis plaguing the South American country.
The announcement comes after Washington’s relaxation of its policy towards Cuba, reported on Monday, which includes restoring commercial flights to several cities and suspend the limit on remittances.
- USA. makes its policy towards Cuba more flexible and will allow more flights, remittances and family reunifications
“Cuba faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and our policy will continue to focus on empowering the Cuban people to help them create a future free from repression and economic suffering,” the Biden administration said in a statement.
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