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Australia - Venezuela relations

Australia - Venezuela relations
Diplomatic mission
Australian embassy in Bogota, Colombia	Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Canberra
Envoy
Ambassador Sophie Davies	Chargé d'affaires Daniel Gasparri Rey

Australia - Venezuela relations refers to the bilateral relations between Australia and Venezuela. Since the opening of the Australian embassy in Caracas, both countries have enjoyed lukewarm relations. Venezuela has an embassy in Canberra and the Australian embassy in Bogota, Colombia is responsible for Venezuela. Both nations are members of international organisations such as the United Nations, World Trade Organisation and Forum of East Asia-Latin America Cooperation.

History

Diplomatic history

Australia first opened an embassy in Caracas in 1979. Prior to this, the Australian ambassador resided in either Brazil (1973-74) or Peru (1974-79). Since the Caracas embassy closure in 2002, the ambassador to Venezuela resides in Bogota. For consular assistance within Venezuela, Australian citizens can contact the Canadian embassy in Caracas. Venezuela however, maintains an embassy in Canberra, which also services neighbouring New Zealand.

The current Australian ambassador to Venezuela is Sophie Davies. The current Venezuelan chargé d'affaires to Australia is Daniel Gasparri Rey.

In 2019, the Venezuelan government was taken to an Australian court due to alleged non-payment of rent to the landlords of their Australian embassy. The Rosa family, which own the property, claimed that the Venezuelan government failed to pay A$50,000 in rent for two properties that operated as embassies. The Venezuelan government intended to have the case dismissed as they can exercise diplomatic immunity. This situation made Australian news after a Venezuelan skier was prosecuted for assaulting the landlord, receiving a good behaviour bond in the process.

Political history

Australia has recognised Juan Gaido as the interim president of Venezuela until nationwide elections are held, aligning with the position of the United States, Canada and much of the European Union. This decision broke with long-standing Australian political protocol, dating back to the Hawke administration, to not recognise governments.

In response to an Australian Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade report, the Australian government set up the Council On Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR) in 2001. The aim of COALAR is to strengthen the existing relations between Australia and the Latin American continent. As citizens of a Latin American nation, Venezuelans can apply for grants and work on projects with Australians, in an effort to strengthen cooperation.

Due to the ongoing political crisis in Venezuela, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) smartraveller service advises against any Australians travelling to Venezuela. As of February 2020, the travel warning remains in place for Australian citizens.

Culture and immigration

Australia is home to several thousand people of Venezuelan ancestry. Majority of these people migrated to Australia as a result of economic uncertainty in Venezuela during the early noughties. In 2019, the Australian government announced increased priority on Venezuelan refugees due to the ongoing political instability in Venezuela. This is part of a larger directive by the Department of Home Affairs (Australia) to admit more refugees from South America. Australian citizens enjoy visa-free entry to Venezuela for 90 days.

Trade

According to the Australian Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, the trade between Australia and Venezuela is modest. In 2018 Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia) figures, the total trade between Australia and Venezuela amounted to A$6.5 million. Much of this trade consists of vehicle parts from Australia and telecommunications equipment from Venezuela. As two resource-rich nations, bilateral cooperation in the mining industry has been discussed but as of 2020, no plans have been announced.

Treaties

In 1993, Australia signed an extradition treaty with the government of Venezuela.