On Wednesday, the U.S. lifted sanctions against Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who came to power after the seizure of authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro during a U.S. military operation on January 3, LETA reported citing AFP.
Rodriguez's name has been removed from the list of "specially designated nationals," according to a statement on the website of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Rodriguez welcomed the decision, stating on the platform "X" that it is part of the "normalization and strengthening" of bilateral relations.
“We believe that this progress will allow for the lifting of existing sanctions against our country and will make it possible to form and ensure an effective cooperation agenda between the two countries for the benefit of our peoples,” Rodriguez added.
After the overthrow of Maduro, relations between the two countries improved as Rodriguez met the demands of U.S. President Donald Trump to open Caracas's energy sector to American companies.
Sanctions against Rodriguez were imposed when she served as vice president under Maduro's regime. The U.S. also imposed sanctions on other representatives of this regime, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello.
In March, Rodriguez relieved Lopez of his duties, and after Maduro's overthrow, she has been navigating between Washington's demands and the expectations of her supporters. Cabello retained his position and is considered one of Rodriguez's main allies.
The U.S. Embassy in Caracas, which had been closed for seven years, resumed operations on Monday.
