Caracas, March 28 (IANS) A delegation is currently in Washington to establish Venezuela's diplomatic mission in the United States, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has announced.

In the delegation are Vice Foreign Minister for Europe and North America Oliver Blanco, as well as Felix Plasencia, who has been appointed charge d'affaires for the Venezuelan embassy in the United States.

In a video shared on social media on Friday (local time), Blanco said that the delegation has held meetings with the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and other senior officials as part of the working agenda.

Plasencia noted that the visit aims to address issues of concern to Venezuelan citizens, reports Xinhua news agency.

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez announced earlier this week that the delegation was ready to resume operations of the diplomatic mission in the United States, which follows an agreement reached on March 5 between Caracas and Washington to restore diplomatic relations after years of rupture.

Rodriguez also announced a cabinet reshuffle last week, appointing new ministers for defence, housing, and electric energy.

Gustavo Gonzalez Lopez was appointed minister of defence, succeeding Vladimir Padrino Lopez, who held the post for over a decade.

Gonzalez Lopez previously served as commander of the Presidential Honour Guard following the US strikes on Venezuela in January.

Rodriguez also appointed Jorge Marquez Monsalve as minister for habitat and housing, tasked with ensuring the right to dignified housing for Venezuelans.

The reshuffle also included the appointment of electrical engineer Rolando Alcala as minister of electric energy, according to Rodriguez.

On January 3, US military forces launched a large-scale strike against Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife before transporting them to the United States.

On January 31, a US diplomatic mission arrived in Caracas, resuming diplomatic contacts between the two countries.

--IANS

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