The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced this Sunday that the National Assembly of Venezuela from 2015 and the interim government have agreed to create a joint forum to formally begin the country's political transition process, with the first discussions scheduled for the first week of August.
Rubio announced the agreement during a press conference at Joint Base Andrews (Maryland), before leaving for the Philippines, in response to a question about the progress of Venezuelan reconstruction following the earthquakes of June 24th.
"A group representing the National Assembly of 2015, the last democratically elected National Assembly, the group we recognized as the legitimate Government of Venezuela, met with the interim Government and has agreed to establish a format and a forum not only for reconciliation talks but also to initiate the transition process, which is what the people of Venezuela need," stated the head of American diplomacy.
Rubio described the understanding as a "very significant proposal" and expressed regret that it has received little media attention.
"I believe their initial official conversations will begin in the first week of August. I found it to be a very significant proposal. And, obviously, we will see how the situation evolves, but we consider that this agreement was generally received in Venezuela as very good news," he added.
The Secretary of State also assured that Washington will play an active role in this new stage.
"Obviously, it is something we are going to participate in very actively," he stated.
The transition agreement
The understanding is the result of a meeting held on June 18 at the Federal Legislative Palace in Caracas between Dinorah Figuera, president of the National Assembly of 2015, and Jorge Rodríguez, representative of the interim government.
Figuera returned to Venezuela after eight years of exile in Spain at the invitation of the Department of State. According to Infobae, the roadmap includes the creation of a technical and political parity table to promote institutional reforms, including the renewal of the National Electoral Council and the reconfiguration of the Supreme Court of Justice.
Although the process was temporarily interrupted by the earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 recorded on June 24, which resulted in more than 5,000 deaths and about 20,000 injuries in the northern part of the country, the commitment to establish the dialogue table remained in place.
Reconstruction and support from the United States
During the same appearance, Rubio provided an update on U.S. assistance to Venezuela following the natural disaster.
He explained that from the total amount announced, Washington has already committed more than 180 million dollars for reconstruction efforts and is working to facilitate the country's access to international financing and credit mechanisms.
"They are still working on an estimate of the total cost, which will be significant, both for the removal of debris and for the construction of new structures," he noted.
The State Department had previously reported, on July 9, that the total assistance pledged by the United States for emergency response exceeded 386 million dollars.
The announcement is part of the strategy of three stages for Venezuela presented by Rubio in January 2026: stabilization, recovery, and transition.
With the creation of this dialogue forum between the National Assembly of 2015 and the interim government, Washington believes that the country is officially entering the phase of political transition, aimed at laying the groundwork for the institutional and economic reconstruction of Venezuela.
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