Venezuela’s new ambassador, Timoteo Zambrano, presents his credentials to the Foreign Ministry

Eduardo González The new Venezuelan ambassador to Spain, Timoteo Zambrano, presented his credentials to the Director General of Protocol, Adrián Martín Couce, on Tuesday, June 16, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Madrid, according to diplomatic sources who spoke to The Diplomat and were confirmed by the Embassy itself. "Today, our Excellency Ambassador Timoteo Zambrano presented his credentials to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, officially accrediting him as head of mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the Kingdom of Spain," the Embassy posted on its Instagram account. "The presentation of this document formally marks the beginning of his tenure as ambassador, which will focus on prioritizing services for our citizens in consular and integration matters," it added. Timoteo Zambrano, 71, has been linked for years to the more moderate and dialogue-oriented opposition to Chavismo. Between 2002 and 2004, he was one of the most prominent leaders of the anti-Chavista alliance, the Democratic Coordinator, and, after several political shifts, in 2010 he was one of the founders of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), another anti-Chavista platform. These activities, along with his moderate and conciliatory nature, led him to participate in several political negotiation processes with the regime and to maintain a very close relationship with Rodríguez Zapatero. Therefore, the appointment of Zambrano—who replaces Gladys Gutiérrez Alvarado—seems to reveal the intention of Delcy Rodríguez's government to send to Madrid (for the first time in more than twenty years) someone outside of Chavismo, but sufficiently open to dialogue to avoid breaking with the regime. Furthermore, this profile appears to fit very well with the current transition process underway in Venezuela, overseen by US President Donald Trump, since the military assault on Caracas on January 3rd that led to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.

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