Diplomacy & Geopolitics
Venezuela, Dominican Republic move to restore ties
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic have agreed on a road map for talks on gradually normalising diplomatic ties, Venezuela's foreign ministry said Sunday, two years after relations were severed over Nicolas Maduro's disputed claimed reelection.
The ministry said the decision reflected a shared interest in strengthening institutional communication channels for people in both countries.
The Dominican Republic joined many other countries in questioning Maduro's claimed victory in Venezuela's 2024 presidential election. Venezuela responded by cutting ties.
The then US-backed opposition released voting tally sheets showing its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, had won by a landslide. Maduro claimed victory and a mandate for a third term.
Maduro was toppled and arrested by US forces in early January and taken to New York with his wife for trial on drug trafficking charges. The Trump administration allowed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to remain as acting president.
As Rodriguez moved to end Venezuela's international isolation, Caracas and Santo Domingo agreed in February to restore flights and consular services. Venezuela has also agreed in the past two weeks to work toward restoring ties with Peru and Chile, which had also severed relations in 2024 after the election dispute.
Update
Caracas and Santo Domingo had agreed in February to restore flights and consular services.
Venezuela's foreign ministry said the decision was meant to strengthen institutional communication channels for people in both countries.
Venezuela has also agreed in the past two weeks to work toward restoring ties with Peru and Chile.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 16:15:00 UTC.
Update
The countries agreed on a road map for talks on gradual normalization of diplomatic relations, according to Venezuela's foreign ministry.
The relations were severed two years ago after the Dominican Republic joined complaints that Nicolas Maduro's claimed reelection was fraudulent.
Source note: AFP news report published on 2 August 2026 at 15:36:47 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The timetable and specific steps for full restoration of diplomatic relations were not specified.
The agreement is for talks on gradual normalization; full diplomatic relations are not stated to have already been restored.
Source
AFP news report published on .