MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Venezuela names Oliver Blanco, a former opposition aide, as foreign minister

A graduate in International Studies, Blanco was an aide to Henry Ramos Allup, a leader of the opposition Democratic Action party, when he presided over the National Assembly elected in 2015

Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez has appointed Oliver Blanco, a 35-year-old diplomat who began his political career alongside a veteran opposition leader, as foreign minister in a reshuffle of her government’s international team. Blanco replaces Félix Plasencia, whom Rodríguez has tasked with moving to the United Kingdom to recover Venezuelan gold held at the Bank of England.

“I will defend our sovereignty and the national interest, always working to achieve concrete benefits for the people,” Blanco said on taking office, adding that the moment requires “building from our differences” a country where “everyone has a place”. Rodríguez said she hoped “this strengthened team will keep advancing the changes and Venezuela’s geopolitical recovery, in areas of cooperation and friendship with all countries”.

A graduate in International Studies, Blanco was an aide to Henry Ramos Allup, a leader of the opposition Democratic Action party, when he presided over the National Assembly elected in 2015, the first controlled by the opposition. After stepping back from party politics, he joined Rodríguez’s government following the US military operation in January that removed Nicolás Maduro from power: he was appointed deputy minister for Europe and North America on February 23 and, in July, first deputy foreign minister. Since then he has been involved in restoring relations with countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile and Israel.

Plasencia, an associate of Rodríguez since the 1990s, becomes head of International Affairs at the Presidency with a specific task. “He must settle in the United Kingdom until we recover the gold that belongs to Venezuelans,” Rodríguez said. The gold, some 31 tonnes of bars from the Central Bank of Venezuela’s reserves worth about US$4 billion, has been frozen at the Bank of England since 2019, when London recognised Juan Guaidó as interim president. Its recovery is one of the government’s main demands in its negotiations with the opposition led by Dinorah Figuera.

Rodríguez also appointed Marynna Saatdjian as deputy minister for North America and Europe, Saúl Ameliach as deputy minister for International Trade and Yuri Pimentel, a former communications minister under Hugo Chávez, as first deputy foreign minister. The changes come a day after the acting president promised elections under a “renewed” electoral authority, without setting a date.