Trinidad and Tobago recognizes Delcy Rodríguez as acting Venezuelan president

The government of Trinidad and Tobago says it now formally recognises Delcy Rodríguez as the Acting President of Venezuela, as Port of Spain prepares to send a diplomatic team to Caracas for discussions on energy cooperation, Foreign Affairs Minister Sean Sobers has confirmed.

Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president on January 5, 2026.

Speaking at a post-Cabinet media briefing, Sobers said relations between the two countries were improving and that communication with Venezuelan officials had become more frequent in recent weeks.

“The diplomatic relationship with Venezuela is getting better day by day,” he said, adding that he is in contact with Venezuelan officials “almost on a weekly basis.”

He also confirmed that planning is underway for a delegation to visit Venezuela, though the exact timing and composition are still being finalised.

“In terms of the cohort of the group of persons that would be going across there, that is under review… as soon as that has been nailed out, we would reveal the same to the public,” Sobers said.

The visit comes as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced plans for a diplomatic mission to Venezuela to pursue energy-related negotiations, including discussions on access to oil and gas resources linked to the National Gas Company. National Gas Company

“We’ve been working really hard with the government of the United States and other governments and that shortly a diplomatic delegation will depart… to go to Venezuela to ensure we get our just share of the oil and gas that we partly own through the NGC,” she said.

However, Sobers noted that the Prime Minister’s role in the delegation is still under discussion, particularly given diplomatic tensions. Venezuela previously declared Persad-Bissessar persona non grata, a decision taken by its National Assembly.

“That is something that is also under discussion,” he said, while reiterating that the government’s position is that “we recognise Delcy Rodriguez as the interim president of Venezuela.”

Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent years, particularly over United States military activity in the Caribbean Sea and competing geopolitical alignments.

Last October, Venezuela formally declared Persad-Bissessar persona non grata, barring her from entering the country amid escalating political tensions between Port of Spain and Caracas.

Opposition figures have sharply criticised the government’s handling of the situation.

Former energy minister Stuart Young questioned the administration’s approach, saying the government had been inconsistent on its recognition of Venezuelan leadership and weak in its energy strategy.

“So you wake up yesterday…and suddenly you decide you have to go to Venezuela… you are incompetent and you are destroying Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, accusing the government of mishandling energy negotiations.

The broader dispute has been shaped by regional tensions involving the United States and Venezuela, including Washington’s military posture in the Caribbean and its pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

While government officials insist diplomatic engagement is now improving, key details of the upcoming mission—including who will lead it and when it will depart—remain under review.