Overview

• Venezuela announced the closures and new openings on Oct 13 as part of a restructuring of its foreign service.
• Consular needs for Venezuelans in Norway and Australia will shift to concurrent diplomatic missions, with implementation details to follow.
• Norway said it received the closure notice without an explanation and expressed regret while seeking to keep dialogue open.
• Caracas said resident embassies in Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe will support cooperation projects in agriculture, energy, education and mining.
• The decision follows weeks of heightened frictions with the United States, with Venezuela alleging U.S. strikes on vessels and Washington expanding counter-narcotics efforts in the region.