Embassy of the United States in Caracas (Temporarily closed) Embajada de los Estados Unidos en Caracas | |
---|---|
Location | Bogotá, Colombia |
Address | Carrera 45 No. 24B-27 Bogotá, Colombia |
Chargé d'affaires | Francisco Palmieri |
Website | U.S. Embassy Venezuela |
The Embassy of the United States in Caracas is a United States embassy that represents the United States in Caracas, Venezuela. The embassy provides assistance to American citizens and residents who live in Venezuela and issues visas to foreign nationals, who are Venezuelan and legal residents in Venezuela, who wish to visit or immigrate to the United States.
On March 11, 2019, the Department of State announced the temporary suspension of operations of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas and the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel. Currently, all consular services are suspended and consular inquiries are to be referred to the Embassy of the United States in Bogota, Colombia. On April 18, 2022, the embassy in Bogota started allowing U.S. citizens located in Venezuela to renew their passports by mail, thus restoring access to some consular services.
The United States has not had an ambassador to Venezuela since July 2010 when Patrick Duddy finished his assignment. Since July 2018, the embassy has been led by the charge d'affaires James "Jimmy" Story from the Embassy of the United States in Bogota, Colombia, after President Nicolás Maduro ordered the expulsion of Todd D. Robinson in May 2018.
On 1958, shortly after the overthrow of Venezuelan dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, Vice President of the United States Richard Nixon's motorcade was attacked in Caracas during his 1958 goodwill tour of South America. Nixon ended up unharmed and his entourage managed to reach the U.S. embassy.
Two different accounts explain how Nixon's car was ultimately able to escape the mob and continue to the embassy. According to one version of events, the U.S. press corps' flatbed truck, accompanying the motorcade, was used to clear a path through the crowd. [1] In Nixon's remembrance of the incident, Associated Press photographer Hank Griffin at one point had to use his camera to beat back a protester who tried to mount the truck. [2] According to a second account, soldiers of the Venezuelan Army arrived and cleared the traffic, thereafter moving the mob back at bayonet-point to allow Nixon's car to pass. [3]
Shortly after the Nixons arrived at the embassy, the Venezuelan army surrounded and fortified the chancellery, reinforcing the small U.S. Marine guard force. Their assistance had earlier been requested by the U.S. ambassador. That afternoon, members of the ruling junta arrived at the embassy and lunched with Nixon. The next morning, representatives of Venezuela's major labor unions came to the embassy and requested an audience with Nixon, which was granted. The union leaders apologized for events of the preceding day. [4]
Additional activities were canceled, and Nixon departed Caracas the next morning, seven hours early. His motorcade to the airport was protected by a major deployment of Venezuelan Army infantry and armored forces in the capital. [5] [6] Nixon described having taken the same route as before, whose streets were empty and heavy patrolled after the whole area had been tear-gassed. [7]
During the presidencies of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, relations between Venezuela and the United States deteriorated. On 11 September 2008, Ambassador Patrick Duddy left Venezuela after Chávez claimed that he was involved in an American-led initiative to remove him from office. [8] Duddy eventually returned to his position in July 2009 [9] but after his assignment ended in July 2010, Chávez refused a replacement for the ambassador, which would be Larry Leon Palmer. [10]
On 2 March 2015, President Maduro accused the United States of plotting a coup against him and demanded that the Embassy of the United States in Caracas reduce its staff from over 200 workers to 17 individuals within two weeks. [11] [12] With about 232,500 applications made through the embassy in 2014, this created fears that difficulties would arise for the demand of visas by Venezuelans. [11] Despite Maduro's orders, the staff did not change at the embassy. [12]
In December 2017, Todd D. Robinson was appointed by President Donald Trump to be charge d'affairs en pied at the embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. In January 2018, Robinson attempted to obtain the release of American citizen, Joshua Holt who had been jailed in the country by meeting with Venezuelan foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza. [13] On 22 May the same year, Robinson and his deputy, Brian Naranjo were expelled from the country as persona non grata by Nicolas Maduro, the newly re-elected president. [14] Days later, Joshua Holt was freed and allowed to return to the USA. [15]
On 23 January 2019, Maduro announced the unilateral breakdown of diplomatic relations with the United States, giving 72 hours to US diplomatic officials to leave the country. The decision came after President Donald Trump recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president of Venezuela. [16] On 12 March 2019, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced over Twitter that the US would withdraw all remaining personnel from the embassy within the week, citing the increasingly deteriorating situation in the country. [17]
On 5 April 2019, the United States signed a protecting power agreement with Switzerland to represent its interests in Venezuela, [18] however, the agreement is not yet operational as it has not been approved by Maduro's government [19] [20] due to the United States rejecting Maduro's government's proposal to have Turkey as its protecting power as the United States only recognizes Guaidó as interim president. [21] [22] In the meantime, the United States has instead established a "Venezuela Affairs Unit" section at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia to serve as an interim diplomatic office to Venezuela. [23]
Organized through the embassy, classes teaching the English language are offered at Bi-National Centers in the cities of Caracas, Maracaibo, and Mérida. [24] Poor high school students in Venezuela are also taught English language classes and United States culture through the English Access Microscholarship Program while the Youth Ambassadors Program sends Venezuelan students in high school for three weeks of studies. [24] The International Visitor Leadership Program allows Venezuelan professionals to visit the United States to observe their American counterparts. [24] Due to the approval of the United States by Venezuelans, demand and popularity for such programs are very high and competitive. [24]
The visa system of the embassy works by accepting payments and applications made in advance online. [11] Appointments are then made after applying online, with individuals required to arrive early and wait in line to make sure they fit into their designated appointments. [11] Visa and United States residency applications have increased in recent years. [11]
United States–Venezuela relations have traditionally been characterized by an important trade and investment relationship as well as cooperation in combating the production and transit of illegal drugs.
Larry Leon Palmer was an American former diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean from 2012 to 2015. He was the United States Ambassador to Honduras from 2002 to 2005. He also served as the President of the Inter-American Foundation from 2005 to June 2010.
Israeli–Venezuelan relations refer to foreign relations between Israel and Venezuela. Both countries have no formal relations since 2009. Canada serves as Israel's protecting power in Venezuela through its embassy in Caracas, while Spain serves as Venezuela's protecting power in Israel through its embassy in Tel Aviv.
A protecting power is a country that represents another sovereign state in a country where it lacks its own diplomatic representation. It is common for protecting powers to be appointed when two countries break off diplomatic relations with each other. The protecting power is responsible for looking after the protected power's diplomatic property and citizens in the hosting state. If diplomatic relations were broken by the outbreak of war, the protecting power will also inquire into the welfare of prisoners of war and look after the interests of civilians in enemy-occupied territory.
Colombia–Venezuela relations refers to the diplomatic relations between the bordering countries of Colombia and Venezuela. The relationship has developed since the early 16th century, when Spanish colonizers created the Province of Santa Marta and the Province of New Andalucia. The countries share a history for achieving their independence under Simón Bolívar and becoming one nation—the Gran Colombia—which dissolved in the 19th century. Following then, the overall relationship between the two countries has oscillated between cooperation and bilateral struggle.
Canada–Venezuela relations have been on good terms since the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two countries in the 1950s. Those relations however began to sour under Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau, especially in relation to the policies of Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Canada has imposed targeted sanctions against 70 government officials in the Venezuelan Government.
Russia–Venezuela relations include cooperation between Russia and Venezuela in areas of common concern, such as their common status as oil exporters, and policy toward the United States. Venezuela is Russia's most important trading and military ally in Latin America. Russia recognizes Nicolás Maduro as the president of Venezuela, instead of Juan Guaidó, in the Venezuelan presidential crisis.
Patrick Dennis Duddy is an American diplomat, formerly United States Ambassador to Venezuela.
China–Venezuela relations are the international relations between the People's Republic of China and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Formal diplomatic relations between both countries were established in August 1944 and switched recognition to the PRC in 1974. Before 1999 only one sitting president, Luis Herrera Campins, had visited China. Cooperation began growing significantly during the Presidency of Hugo Chávez of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the tenure of Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao as the leader of the People's Republic of China. In 2016, China-Venezuelan trade amounted to $7.42 billion, with $4.9 billion coming from Venezuelan exports and $2.52 billion coming from Chinese exports.
Under the rule of President Hugo Chávez who was elected President of Venezuela in 1998, relations between Israel and Venezuela rapidly deteriorated as Venezuela strongly supported the rights of the Palestinians and condemned Israeli actions, twice expelling the Israeli ambassador from Venezuela. Venezuela officially recognized the State of Palestine and established diplomatic relations with the Palestinian Authority on 27 April 2009.
The Embassy of Venezuela in Washington, D.C. is the diplomatic mission of the Venezuela to the United States. The embassy is located at 1099 30th Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C. in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Haiti–Venezuela relations are relations between Haiti and Venezuela. Venezuela has an embassy in Port-au-Prince, and Haiti has an embassy in Caracas.
Mexico–Venezuela relations are foreign relations between Mexico and Venezuela. Both nations are members of the Association of Caribbean States, Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Latin American Integration Association, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations.
Spain–Venezuelan relations are the bilateral relations between the Kingdom of Spain and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Both nations are members of the Association of Spanish Language Academies and the Organization of Ibero-American States.
The Taipei Commercial Office in Bogotá, Colombia represents the interests of Taiwan in Colombia in the absence of formal diplomatic relations, functioning as a de facto embassy.
On May 13, 1958, US Vice President Richard Nixon's motorcade was attacked by a mob in Caracas, Venezuela, during Nixon's goodwill tour of South America. The event was described at the time as the "most violent attack ever perpetrated on a high American official while on foreign soil." Close to being killed while a couple of his aides were injured in the melee, Nixon ended up unharmed and his entourage managed to reach the U.S. embassy. The visit took place only months after the overthrow in January of Venezuelan dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez, who in 1954 had been awarded the Legion of Merit and was later granted asylum by the United States, and the incident may have been orchestrated by the Communist Party of Venezuela. U.S. Navy Admiral Arleigh Burke mobilized fleet and Marine units to the region, compelling the Venezuelan government to provide full protection to Nixon for the remainder of the trip.
North Korea–Venezuela relations are relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Venezuela is one of the five countries in Latin America that has an embassy of North Korea along with Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Nicaragua. However, Venezuela is one of the only countries in the world that has a good relationship with both North and South Korea.
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Venezuela were established in 1950.
Chile–Venezuela relations are the diplomatic relations between the Republic of Chile and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Both nations are members of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, Group of 77, Latin American Integration Association, Organization of American States, Organization of Ibero-American States and the United Nations.