Venezuela announced diplomatic negotiations with the United States

Venezuela and the United States removed all staff from their respective diplomatic representations in Washington and Caracas and agreed to negotiate the establishment of an office of interests in each capital, the Venezuelan Chancery informed.

The announcement was made a day before the deadline given by President Nicolás Maduro to all US officials to leave Venezuela, following his decision to sever bilateral diplomatic relations.

The novelty has not yet been confirmed by the United States, who responded that Maduro did not have the legitimacy to take such a step, because Washington did not know the president and recognized the acting president appointed by parliament Venezuelan, Juan Guaidó.

Yesterday, "the effective withdrawal of the staff of the American diplomatic mission in Caracas was made on time," said the statement of the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, quoted by the news agency EFE.

The note adds that "in the same way, the staff of the Venezuelan diplomatic mission in Washington undertook the return to Caracas today".

According to the document, the governments will negotiate, within a period of 30 days, the opening of offices of interest intended to "badist the migration procedures and other subjects of bilateral interest in the strict respect of the international law for the cases of rupture of the relations between countries ".

With this objective, "the permanence of the remaining staff in each mission has been authorized, which will continue to be protected by diplomatic prerogatives during the agreed period".

The statement warns that if no agreement is reached within 30 days, "the two missions will cease their activities and the two States will proceed to the designation of the entity (of the country) that each will choose to entrust its respective interests".

Maduro expelled all US officials on Wednesday and gave them a 72-hour deadline – expired today, but extended until Sunday morning – to leave Venezuela, after Washington recognized Guaidó as president in charge of the Caribbean country. .

The United States reacted through the intermediary of their Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who would have maintained his diplomatic representation in Caracas because Guaidó had invited her to "stay in Venezuela", although 39 he ordered Thursday the evacuation of all his "non-essential" staff from the Venezuelan capital. .