Venezuela and the Dominican Republic have agreed to work towards restoring diplomatic relations that were cut off following the Dominican Republic's criticism of the 2024 re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as fraudulent.

According to a statement from Venezuela’s foreign ministry on Sunday, the two countries have agreed on a roadmap for further talks aimed at the “gradual normalisation” of diplomatic ties. The ministry described the decision as a response to the shared interest in strengthening institutional communication channels to benefit the people of both nations, calling the agreement the result of “sustained dialogue.”

The Dominican Republic was among dozens of countries that refused to recognize Maduro’s 2024 re-election amid widespread allegations of fraud from election observers and Venezuela’s political opposition. The elections were followed by a deadly government crackdown on protests, which led Venezuela to sever diplomatic relations with the Dominican Republic.

In related developments, Venezuela recently announced its intention to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing the court of bias against poor and non-Western countries. The ICC had announced in 2021 that it would investigate potential crimes against humanity committed by the Venezuelan government during its crackdown on anti-government protests in 2017.

Additionally, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was abducted by US forces in a military raid earlier this year in January.

Sources