Delcy Rodríguez invites José Antonio Kast to 'march together' after Chile-Venezuela thaw

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, has extended an invitation to Chilean President José Antonio Kast to "march together" on a path of friendship and cooperation. This overture comes shortly after both South American nations agreed to revive their consular relations and normalize diplomatic ties, ending a two-year period of rupture.

Rodríguez expressed her willingness to work with Kast, stating, "You can also count on a Venezuelan of good standing who is in charge of international relations to march together and for our South American countries to march together in a common agenda, in an agenda of cooperation, in an agenda of friendship." She also thanked Kast for his "kind words" after he announced the reactivation of consular relations and the "beginning of a new stage" for the progressive normalization of their relationship.

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The relationship had been severed in 2024 when the administration of former Chilean President Gabriel Boric questioned the transparency of Venezuela's elections. The current Chilean President Kast highlighted that the new stage "will allow progress on tremendous challenges" related to security, migration, and economic development. He commended the "methodical" work of the diplomatic teams and Rodríguez's "disposition" to advance a joint design.

Kast has repeatedly emphasized that restoring relations with Venezuela is "essential" for his administration's plan to deport irregular immigrants via flights to Caracas, a key campaign promise. Local reports indicate over 75,000 deportation orders are pending, with more than half concerning Venezuelan citizens. The breakdown in relations had previously led to the withdrawal of all Venezuelan diplomatic staff from Chile and the expulsion of Chilean officials from Caracas, significantly impacting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan citizens in Chile and tens of thousands of Chileans in Venezuela, complicating cooperation and security mechanisms between the two countries.

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