The act is highly symbolic. Broadcast live on Venezuelan public television, the ceremony during which the new French ambassador presented his credentials to President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday August 16, 2023, formalizes the normalization of relations between the two countries after a period of tension. caused by the non-recognition by Paris of the re-election of the Head of State in 2018.
Former ambassador to Honduras, Mr. Pineda delivered his letters to the president then the two men exchanged a long handshake, at the presidential palace of the country, before discussing briefly, seated in front of the cameras but without the sound.
“There is normalization, yes. These are different times,” said Luis Angarita, a professor specializing in international relations at the Central University of Venezuela (UCV).
The Ukrainian crisis, a key element
In the wake of Washington, Paris had not recognized the re-election of Mr. Maduro to a second term in 2018 and supported opponent Juan Guaido, who had declared himself interim president. This episode is now a thing of the past, the opposition having put an end to it at the start of the year.
“There had already been recognition [of Mr. Maduro by Emmanuel Macron] during the meeting” in Sharm el-Sheikh in 2022, recalls Mr. Angarita. During this meeting filmed in the corridors of COP27, Mr. Macron had notably described Mr. Maduro as “president”.
Mr. Angarita stresses that the Ukraine crisis is a key element: “The world must diversify its sources [of oil supply] with Africa and America. Venezuela, which has the largest reserves in the world, thus reenters geopolitics! France has understood this”.
France has “interests,” said Angarita, noting that French oil group Maurel
Colombia is doing the same
Mr. Pineda replaces Romain Nadal, very popular in Venezuela, especially on social networks, who had been in office since 2017. The longevity of Mr. Nadal, appointed in Argentina, is explained among other things by diplomatic finesse.
“Europe was locked in the game of recognizing Maduro or not,” Angarita said. Handing over credentials would have been an acknowledgment of Mr. Maduro. Not changing ambassador allowed “to keep the same status”, to have an “ambassador and not a charge d’affaires”.
Mr. Maduro also received the credentials of the new Colombian ambassador Milton Rengifo, who succeeds Armando Benedetti. The two neighbors resumed in 2022 their relations broken in 2019 also in the context of the Venezuelan political crisis.
