NEW YORK--Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten held high-level talks in New York on Wednesday aimed at reopening diplomatic channels and exploring greater cooperation in energy, trade and investment, with the stability of the Caribbean region also forming part of the discussions.
The bilateral meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly and included Curaçao Prime Minister Gilmar “Pik” Pisas. Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the talks were intended to explore new avenues for economic and energy cooperation while strengthening communication between the two governments.
According to the Venezuelan government, both sides expressed interest in strengthening bilateral trade and discussed the importance of regional stability in the Caribbean. Rodríguez indicated that Venezuela was prepared to support further dialogue and areas of cooperation that could contribute to shared development.
The presence of Pisas gave the Caribbean part of the Kingdom direct representation during discussions involving Venezuela, a country with longstanding commercial, energy and geographic ties to Curaçao. Jetten has described Venezuela as a neighboring country of the Kingdom whose developments are important to stability in the wider Caribbean.
Energy featured prominently in the Venezuelan account of the meeting. Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves and is currently seeking new international investment as it attempts to rebuild production and attract foreign partners.
The Rodríguez government has been pursuing a broader series of international energy agreements. Earlier this month, Venezuela announced expanded projects involving companies including Chevron and Eni, while Rodríguez also recently oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding between state-owned PDVSA and TotalEnergies.
No specific Dutch-Venezuelan energy project, investment amount or commercial agreement was announced following Wednesday’s meeting. The discussions instead appear to represent an effort to identify areas where cooperation could be expanded.
Trade and investment were also discussed, with both delegations indicating interest in rebuilding commercial relations. Venezuela’s official account characterized the meeting as part of an effort to strengthen bilateral ties through dialogue and increased economic engagement.
The Dutch side coupled the discussion on economic cooperation with political issues in Venezuela.
Jetten said the Netherlands supports a democratic transition involving all political parties and called for the release of political prisoners, the safe return of opposition leaders and free elections. He also indicated that the Kingdom was open to greater economic cooperation, including cooperation that takes into account the interests of the Caribbean part of the Kingdom.
Rodríguez told the UN General Assembly on Wednesday that Venezuela would hold elections as part of what she described as a transition toward full democracy. She did not announce a date, saying the timing would be determined as the process develops.
The talks therefore combined renewed economic engagement with continued discussion about Venezuela’s political transition.
The wider Kingdom delegation in New York includes Jetten and Pisas, along with Aruba Justice Minister Arthur Dowers and St. Maarten Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Claret Connor. Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Tom Berendsen and several other Dutch ministers are also participating in UN High-Level Week.
Connor is representing St. Maarten as part of the Kingdom delegation during the General Assembly meetings. The Dutch government said ahead of the gathering that Jetten would use his visit for several bilateral meetings with heads of state and government.
Wednesday’s Venezuela meeting also forms part of a wider diplomatic campaign by Rodríguez during her first visit to the United States since becoming acting president earlier this year. Reuters reported that Venezuela’s delegation has been holding discussions concerning energy, debt restructuring, mining and international investment, including talks with major international financial institutions.
Rodríguez also met U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday, with energy and the future economic relationship between Venezuela and the United States among the matters discussed.
For the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, the renewed dialogue with Caracas carries particular importance because developments in Venezuela can affect energy, trade, migration, maritime security and regional stability. Wednesday’s talks indicate that economic cooperation is again being explored while political and democratic issues remain part of the Netherlands’ discussions with Venezuela.
