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GUATIRE, Venezuela (AP) — The United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that an delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Venezuela’s government on Friday acknowledged that U.S. diplomats had traveled to the South American country and announced that it will send a delegation to the U.S. but it did not say when.

In a statement, Delcy Rodríguez’s government said it “has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature with the Government of the United States of America, aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries."

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

FILE - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez attends the High-Level Segment of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Keystone,Salvatore Di Nolfi, File)

Performers on stilts dressed as former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores wave during a march by government supporters calling for their release after U.S. forces captured them, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Supporters of the Venezuelan government rally calling for the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were captured by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)