(RTTNews) - The governments of the United States and Venezuela have decided to normalize their diplomatic relations and reinstate their ambassadors in each others capitals, said Venezuela's Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the sixth summit of ALBA, a regional trade group, in the city of Maracay, Maduro told reporters that normalization of U.S.-Venezuela diplomatic ties "will take place in the coming days, and as soon as the ambassadors have resumed their functions we will move forward to a more fluid communication."
The relations between the two countries had deteriorated over a diplomatic spat in September when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expelled Washington's ambassador to Venezuela, Patrick Duddy, as a sign of solidarity to Bolivia.Earlier, Bolivian President Evo Morales had expelled the top U.S. diplomat in his country, accusing him of meddling in Bolivia's internal affairs and plotting against his government.
Ahmadi Najad & Evo Morales
The U.S. administration had responded to the expulsions of its ambassadors from the two south American countries by expelling the Bolivian and Venezuelan ambassadors in Washington.
Though Chavez and the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had discussed the return of the ambassadors to their respective posts during the Summit of the Americas held in Trinidad and Tobago in April, Venezuelan media reports suggested Wednesday that the deal was finalized in a telephonic conversation with Maduro and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon.
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