During a public consultation organized by the Freedom Parliamentary Group at the Center for Political and Government Studies, lawmakers, experts, and civil society organizations discussed adjustments to the amnesty bill, with emphasis on the release of political prisoners, the need for judicial guarantees, and the protection of adolescents.
Two million barrels of Venezuelan oil will be shipped to the Spanish oil company Repsol, according to export schedules released this week. This is the first significant shipment destined for Spain. Meanwhile, Shell says it expects to produce gas from the Dragón field, located in Venezuelan waters, within approximately three years, with processing in Trinidad and Tobago for subsequent export. The American oil company ConocoPhillips, however, has made it clear that it is not considering any return to operations in Venezuela
Zapatero will meet with acting president Delcy Rodríguez and will also hold meetings with opposition lawmakers and leaders, including Henrique Capriles, Stalin González, former political prisoner Enrique Márquez, and Antonio Ecarri. He is coming from participating in a joint initiative with Zapatero, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Qatar, which led to a significant wave of prisoner releases.
U.S. refineries and major international buyers, including Indian companies and global trading houses, have resumed purchases of Venezuelan crude following the easing of sanctions and new energy agreements driven by Washington and Caracas. The reopening of oil flows is already beginning to be reflected in refining margins and in Venezuela’s repositioning in the global market.
The National Assembly, led by its president, Congressman Jorge Rodríguez, held a series of key meetings with social, economic, political, and cultural sectors of the country, as well as with various actors from the Venezuelan opposition, within the framework of the Program for Peace and Democratic Coexistence. At the same time, the national Executive advanced its economic agenda through high-level meetings with international oil companies, reinforcing calls for foreign investment and dialogue as central pillars of the current national context.
Venezuela is seeking to move beyond its image as the country with the world’s largest crude oil reserves and position itself as one of the leading global oil producers, amid a political and economic shift that has reshaped its relationship with the United States and revived interest from major international energy players.
According to Reuters, Venezuela’s oil exports rebounded sharply in January following the partial lifting of the oil blockade and the issuance of U.S. licenses, in a context in which Washington is consolidating its control over Venezuela’s energy sector and using crude as a tool to reconfigure key alliances, especially with India, amid the war in Ukraine.
Delcy Rodríguez announced a general amnesty law that could benefit hundreds of political prisoners in Venezuela, in an unprecedented move since 1999, shaped by international mediation and a slow, still incomplete process of releases.
Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday at the Miraflores Palace with Venezuelan authorities and representatives from Indonesia to consolidate strategic alliances in oil and gas, with the aim of strengthening South-South cooperation and creating a legal environment that attracts international investment.
The Secretary of State presented the January 3 operation as a “surgical” law-enforcement action, denied any military occupation, and said Washington is already working with an interim government in Caracas—amid growing scrutiny in Congress over the scope of presidential power.
