NEW YORK: A Venezuelan delegation led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez that is taking part in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly this week began discussing energy, debt and mining issues with counter-parties in the United States on Monday, officials and sources say.
The talks were expected to lead to the signing of agreements as part of US President Donald Trump’s plans to rebuild Venezuela’s key industries, while removing obstacles for Rodriguez’s government to regain control of assets overseas and have access to financing, according to the sources.
In one of her first meetings, she held talks with Inter American Development Bank (IDB) president Ilan Goldfajn.
She later met International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva, and World Bank president Ajay Banga, in separate meetings, according to state TV and sources.
“Her visit will have a big focus on debt restructuring, funds and payments,” one of the sources said.
Venezuela announced in May it would begin restructuring its sovereign debt and that of state oil company PDVSA, estimated by most analysts at between US$150bil and US$200bil.
Last month, legal and financial advisers set up a committee to bring together companies with outstanding claims against Venezuela ahead of the planned restructuring.
The initiative aims to coordinate creditors’ participation in the process and secure representation for them in negotiations.
The IDB is drawing up a two-year engagement plan for Venezuela focused partly on electricity and social protection, Goldfajn said.
The effort includes missions to examine the nation’s macroeconomic framework and data, and to estimate investment needs across different sectors.
With the IMF, talks focused on earthquake recovery and reconstruction in Venezuela, Georgieva said on social media.
The Venezuelan government and a faction of the opposition are separately nearing a deal to move some US$4bil in gold from the Bank of England to the United States, sources told Reuters earlier this month.
Rodriguez arrived in New York early on Monday with her team. It was her first trip to the United States after taking office as Venezuela’s interim-president in January under Washington’s oversight, following the capture of then President Nicolas Maduro by US forces.
The top US diplomat in Venezuela, John Barrett, received her at the airport, Venezuela’s state television said.
Rodriguez met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres late in the afternoon to discuss economic reforms, debt restructuring, dialogue initiatives, and cooperation between the UN and Venezuela, “including on human rights, as well as the path towards a full democracy”, the UN said in a statement.
Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Felix Plasencia met UK officials to discuss democratic transition and human rights, as well as recovery efforts following this year’s earthquakes, said Chris Elmore, UK Minister for the Americas.
Plasencia later had talks with US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Juan Pablo Segura.
“US companies can continue to power Venezuela’s economic recovery, help restore investor confidence and deliver jobs for the American people,” Segura said on X. — Reuters
