U.S. State Department officials have voiced full support for Venezuela’s political reconciliation talks, which resumed for a third round on Oct. 14 in Caracas.
Representatives from Venezuela’s interim government, led by current National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez, and opposition representatives from Venezuela’s 2015 National Assembly, led by its president, Dinorah Figuera, held two rounds of political reconciliation talks in August and September. The 2015 National Assembly was the last democratically elected legislative body recognized by the international community.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told NTD, The Epoch Times’s sister media outlet, on Oct. 14 that the reconciliation talks have led to “concrete steps” being taken toward “real reforms.” The steps have included rebuilding an independent supreme court in Venezuela, restoring access to blocked websites, and reforming repressive laws used to target political opponents under former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
“We support these Venezuelan-led talks 100 percent, and the importance to the American people is very clear: We want to see countries in our hemisphere and a Venezuela that is a partner of the United States,” Pigott said.
The State Department spokesman’s comments echoed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s support for the political reconciliation talks, which he expressed prior to a meeting with Figuera last week. Rubio described the talks as the best opportunity Venezuela has had in “almost a generation” to have free and fair elections and build what he described as an “enduring democracy for future generations.”
Following the first two rounds of talks, Venezuela’s 2026 National Assembly ordered reforms to the selection process for the Venezuelan Supreme Court, with a committee expected to choose 32 nominees by December. The court will be responsible for overseeing challenges to the country’s future elections, according to the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.
Pigott said the creation of an independent court is a key step toward the establishment of trustworthy institutions that could lead to prosperity and stability for the Venezuelan people as well as an “enduring republic.”
Venezuela’s interim government, led by Delcy Rodríguez, also restored or partially restored access to over 70 internet domains that were previously blocked by Maduro’s regime.
The National Assembly has also taken steps to reform repressive laws, such as the 2017 Law Against Hatred, which was used by Maduro’s regime to jail opposition leaders and people who criticized the regime.
Following the start of the political reconciliation talks, Venezuela’s interim government announced it would release 177 political prisoners. The government previously released more than 1,000 political prisoners after U.S. forces captured Maduro in January as part of Operation Absolute Resolve.
Pigott told NTD that while there was more work to be done in Venezuela, “historic progress” was being made. He added that the reforms could lead to increased safety and prosperity for both Venezuelans and Americans.
“By having a partner that we can work with on these issues, our hemisphere is more stable, our hemisphere is more prosperous, and we can have win-win arrangements and deals with the Venezuelan people that help the Venezuelan people and help the people of the United States,” Pigott said.
Asked how hostile regimes such as China and Cuba could be kept from undermining Venezuela’s path toward democracy, Pigott reiterated that having strong institutions, including an independent Supreme Court and having reforms that allow opposition parties to organize as political movements instead of being repressed, are essential.
The State Department spokesman also said the Venezuelan oil deal that President Donald Trump announced in August will help by preventing oil revenue from “going to adversaries and going to corruption and going to cronies of Maduro.”
As part of the oil deal, Trump said the United States will be taking control of 65 billion barrels of oil from Venezuela’s reserves. When the deal was announced, Rubio said it would bring thousands of high-paying jobs and nearly $100 million in private investment to Venezuela.
“All these things happening in tandem is an important work that needs to be done to see a Venezuela that is led by Venezuelans, a Venezuelan-led process—Venezuelans determining their own future—but a partner of the United States to advance freedom and prosperity,” Pigott told NTD on Wednesday.
