Delcy Rodríguez shares a tribute to Washington in Caracas with the U.S. delegation
The president in charge and diplomat John Barrett participated in a ceremony marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and 191 years of bilateral diplomatic ties.
Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez presided over a floral tribute to George Washington in Caracas on Friday, accompanied by John Barrett, a U.S. representative with the rank of chargé d'affaires. The ceremony brought together officials from both governments to celebrate the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and recall a diplomatic relationship that turns 191 years old in 2026. The independence celebration was held outside its usual date, July 4.
The stage was Washington Square, located in the Caracas sector of El Paraíso and dedicated to the first U.S. president. In front of his statue, participants sang the anthems of Venezuela and the United States as part of the tribute. The space had reopened in October after a restoration that was in charge of Juan José Ramírez, Venezuelan head of Public Works, who also attended the ceremony.
During his speech, Rodríguez highlighted Washington's role as the founder of the U.S. nation and expressed his support for the celebration of its independence. He also defended that children and young people learn both the historical trajectory of his country and that of other nations. In a message posted on Facebook along with images of the event, he linked the recovery of the square with that educational work and with values such as freedom, sovereignty, respect and international cooperation.
Barrett expressed pride in front of the monument and compared Washington's independence leadership with that of Simón Bolívar. For the diplomat, the presence of these figures in the respective capitals symbolizes a new stage of bilateral friendship. In explaining this idea, he related the Caracas statue of the U.S. leader to the monument to the Venezuelan liberator located in Washington.
The U.S. delegation included Luis Méndez, who holds an assistant assistant secretary for South America, and James O'Brien, senior advisor in the area of Finance of the State Department. Among the Venezuelan attendees were also Anabel Pereira, minister in charge of Economy and Finance, and Calixto Ortega, sectoral vice president of the economic area.
The meeting took place after Caracas and Washington reestablished diplomatic ties, interrupted for seven years, in 2026. The oil pact signed in August has a duration of 25 years and enables U.S. access to a proportion of Venezuelan reserves that exceeds 20%. In September, Trump and Rodriguez held a meeting in New York, the first face-to-face meeting between leaders of those countries in more than eleven years.