Venezuelan authorities, through the National Assembly (AN), have activated Saturday a joint working agenda with former opposition lawmakers from the 2015-2020 legislative legislature aimed at expanding institutional political dialogue.Dinorah Figuera leads the opposition delegation holding talks in Caracas and recently met with AN President Jorge Rodríguez. The first of these meetings, which was held publicly, took place days before the twin earthquakes of June 24, which have left more than 5,500 people dead.The rapprochement emerged following the Jan. 3 US bombing of Caracas, during which President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, National Assembly Deputy Cilia Flores, were kidnapped, leaving the country’s leadership in the hands of then-Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who is now acting president.Since then, Washington has exercised what many analysts describe as imperialist extortion against the acting government. The talks now taking place on Venezuelan territory have emerged within that context. María Corina Machado, Juan Guaidó, and other far-right figures associated with the 2015-2020 National Assembly are not part of the opposition delegation currently holding talks with the government.Analysts have situated the opening of the talks within a different political moment, in which both sides see greater benefits in reaching agreements than in continuing the confrontation. Others view the initiative as another US imperial imposition that is unlikely to produce lasting results, arguing that the participating far-right group does not represent Venezuela’s diverse and divided opposition sectors.Sanctions, gold, and CITGOThe opposition faction now sending representatives to Caracas had previously called from abroad for the tightening of economic sanctions against its own country, an effort that the Venezuelan government has documented in detail.The same group supported—and continues to support—the seizure of Venezuela’s gold reserves at the Bank of England, as well as the legal and political maneuver launched in 2018 to dispossess the nation of CITGO, its largest international asset—an operation Caracas has described as “the theft of CITGO.”The decisions taken at that time deprived the Venezuelan state of resources that are now crucial for rebuilding the country following the twin earthquakes and addressing the accumulated damage caused by more than a decade of illegal US sanctions.A few weeks ago, Acting President Rodríguez submitted a formal request for the lifting of sanctions and the release of Venezuelan assets retained abroad to address the humanitarian and material catastrophe caused by the earthquakes.In a letter addressed to King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Rodríguez demanded the return of the 31 metric tons of Venezuelan gold held by the Bank of England, valued at more than $4 billion.“That gold belongs to our people and must be used to address the terrible and tragic consequences of these twin earthquakes,” Rodríguez said.The acting president also discussed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the release of Venezuelan resources frozen by the institution, including the country’s Special Drawing Rights.The Venezuelan government plans to make one demand central to the rounds of talks: the lifting of more than 1,000 unilateral coercive measures that have struck the country’s economy.Venezuelan Vice Minister of Anti-Blockade Policies William Castillo welcomed the opening of the process while stressing that it must serve the well-being of the country.The official warned that the talks are taking place while the coercive measures remain in force and with an opposition sector claiming a legitimacy that expired in 2020, when its parliamentary term ended after witch it continued operating in contempt of court.Castillo stated that “a hegemonic power continues to coerce Venezuela” and described the opposition delegates as emissaries whose only backing comes from an US executive order and licenses recognizing a legitimacy that has already expired.Nevertheless, he expressed hope that the talks would produce results and said the participants bear responsibility for helping normalize Venezuela’s political life.From Barbados to energy licensesThe political dialogue now beginning is the latest phase of a negotiation process developed between 2019 and 2026, during which the Venezuelan state established respect for its sovereignty as a prerequisite for any agreement. At the same time, the extent of Venezuela’s autonomy under current US pressures remains subject to intense scrutiny domestically and internationally.The first contacts took place in Barbados, under Norwegian mediation, and centered on rejecting the economic blockade imposed on the Caribbean nation.That process led to the Mexico City agreements of 2021 and 2022, with the defense of Venezuela’s national interests included in every item on the agenda.Those agreements opened a channel of coordination with the United Nations that made it possible to release a small portion of the frozen resources and direct them toward essential social programs.The signing of the Barbados Agreement in 2023 established the framework for the 2024 presidential election, with accompaniment from the European Union (EU).Between 2025 and 2026, Venezuela prioritized direct contacts with the United States (US) to negotiate energy licenses and safeguard internal stability. Jorge Rodríguez led that phase as AN president and is once again coordinating the negotiations with former lawmakers whom critics accuse of responding directly to the US Department of State.During a recent interview, political analyst José Manuel Cintrón told state-owned Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) that Venezuela has preserved a participatory democracy through the Bolivarian Revolution, a model that continuously promotes opportunities for understanding.The analyst recalled that this peace-oriented policy took shape after the 2002 coup against President Hugo Chávez. Chávez subsequently called for a national dialogue while holding a crucifix, a gesture that preceded negotiations in the Dominican Republic and Panama, as well as mediation efforts by Norway and the Vatican later.President Nicolás Maduro continued that approach with more than 600 calls for dialogue throughout the Bolivarian process.Cintrón said citizens must set aside their differences to consolidate the political dialogue currently underway. He emphasized that the talks with former members of the 2015-2020 legislature have an obligation to demand criminal accountability for the mismanagement of the US frozen Venezuelan assets abroad.According to the analyst, every genuine dialogue requires common ground on which the parties can make concessions, although the demand for accountability must remain unchanged.Trump’s Favorite Drug Trafficker Returns Triumphantly to HondurasOther analysts argue that the current initiative may not produce substantive results because of the composition of the participating far-right sector. They contend that the process is also shaped by US domestic politics, with the midterm elections approaching and Republican politicians pressing President Donald Trump to take more concrete steps toward their long-standing objective of regime change in Venezuela. (Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune edition and contentTranslation: Orinoco TribuneOT/JRE/XX