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Venezuela\u2019s acting president, delivering her first address to the U.N. General Assembly since coming to power, promised elections Wednesday and said the nation\u2019s people will determine the \u201cright moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish to state this very clearly before this General Assembly: Elections will be held in Venezuela,\u201d Delcy Rodriguez said, adding that her government has started a \u201cpolitical dialogue with opposition sectors\u201d to secure a \u201cprocess based on equal conditions for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez said the Venezuelan people will determine the best time to get elections moving and assured the United Nations that, when the time comes, the country\u2019s institutions \u201cwill be prepared to guarantee an inclusive and transparent process.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rodr\u00edguez took over in Venezuela<\/a> after a surprise U.S. military raid in January<\/a> that captured then-leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro and brought him to the United States to face drug trafficking charges.<\/p>\n This is the first trip to the United States by a Venezuelan head of state since 2018, when Maduro traveled to New York to participate in the U.N. General Assembly himself. He is currently being held only a few miles from the organization\u2019s headquarters as he awaits trial.<\/p>\n Rodr\u00edguez\u2019s participation in the international forum also marks a milestone in Venezuela\u2019s reintegration into global diplomacy. Addressing global leaders, she said that \u201cthe last time that two presidents of Venezuela and the United States met was in 2009.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that her country is coming back strong after \u201csetbacks\u201d suffered this year and thanked President Donald Trump for being willing to resume relations after the U.S. military spirited her predecessor out of the country.<\/p>\n The other setback to which she referred: On June 24, two powerful earthquakes, magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, struck north-central Venezuela and killed more than 6,500 people, leaving an untold number of missing and causing widespread devastation.<\/p>\n \u201cI come to talk about a Venezuela whose national life has been affected by a crisis of political coexistence that disrupted the life of the nation and our interaction with the world,” Rodriguez she said. \u201cInterests alien to the common good of Venezuelans were imposed.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodriguez faced a delicate balance in her speech, which needed to be addressed to both her people and the U.S. government that holds her predecessor. She thanked Trump for his willingness to resume the course of diplomatic relations and cooperation with Venezuela.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are working earnestly to resolve existing differences through dialogue, but above all to pave the way for cooperation in the energy sector, the promotion of security, the joint fight against transnational crime, and economic cooperation for the benefit of both peoples and our continent,” she said. \u201cToday, Venezuela is being reborn.\u201d<\/p>\n Since rising to power, Rodr\u00edguez has forged a close working<\/a> relationship with Trump. U.S. influence in Venezuela has grown following the lifting of sanctions<\/a> against Rodr\u00edguez in April, one of several recent moves by Washington to recognize her as a legitimate authority ever since the U.S. military captured her predecessor.<\/p>\n Addressing some words to her people, Rodr\u00edguez said that she could not promise an \u201ceasy path,\u201d noting that \u201cthe country\u2019s recovery will take time.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cRebuilding the national soul will be our priority,” she said. \u201cWe will walk united as a single nation that, after the pain, chose hope.\u201d<\/p>\n Before her speech at the U.N. Wednesday night, Trump and Rodr\u00edguez, who had been Maduro\u2019s vice president, met at a pull-aside meeting late Tuesday during a reception the U.S. president hosted at a New York hotel. <\/p>\n It was the first time<\/a> the two had met in person since the operation that captured the nation\u2019s former leader and effectively put Rodr\u00edguez in charge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe discussed strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries and advancing a cooperation agenda in strategic areas such as energy, mining, security, and other matters of mutual interest,\u201d Rodr\u00edguez said on X after the encounter.<\/p>\n The meeting came after the two countries announced an agreement last month to give the United States a stake in Venezuela\u2019s vast oil reserves.<\/a> She described the deal as a step toward economic recovery that will modernize the country\u2019s oil industry.<\/p>\n Rodr\u00edguez vowed to shoulder the \u201chistoric responsibility\u201d of leading Venezuela \u201cfrom a period of uncertainty and conflict toward a stage of full democracy, recognized by its own people and by the world.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cVenezuela wants to breathe freely and exercise its rights as a sovereign nation without any kind of interference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n