Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez announced a cabinet reshuffle on July 13, merging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Trade into a single Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and appointing veteran diplomat Félix Plasencia to head the new portfolio. Former Foreign Minister Yván Gil was reassigned to lead the Ministry of Science and Technology.
In a statement posted on social media, Rodríguez said Plasencia possesses “extensive diplomatic experience” and will be responsible for steering Venezuela’s foreign policy, safeguarding national sovereignty, strengthening international cooperation, and promoting “peace diplomacy” globally. Plasencia previously served as Venezuela’s foreign minister from 2021 to 2022, and earlier this year he was entrusted by Rodríguez as head of the Venezuelan diplomatic mission in the United States. He has also held posts as ambassador to the United Kingdom, China, Colombia, and served as executive secretary of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP).
Under the reshuffle, the newly created Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade combines the previous separate foreign and trade portfolios. This merger resulted in the departure of former Foreign Trade Minister Johann Álvarez. Rodríguez said integrating diplomatic and trade functions into one department is intended to more effectively coordinate Venezuela’s foreign policy and international economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, former Foreign Minister Yván Gil was appointed Minister of Science and Technology. Rodríguez said Gil will be tasked with “continuing to drive scientific development, innovation, and technological transformation” in service of the Venezuelan people and national development. Gil holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in agricultural engineering from the Central University of Venezuela, and a doctorate in biological and industrial sciences and technology from the University of Montpellier in France. The outgoing science and technology minister, biologist Gabriela Jiménez, left the post.
In addition, on July 14, Rodríguez named former Foreign Trade Minister Johann Álvarez as Venezuela’s new chargé d’affaires in the United States. She said Álvarez will bear the “strategic mission of representing national interests and leading a new phase of dialogue and cooperation.”
The cabinet shake-up comes as Venezuela faces multiple challenges. Last month, the country’s coastal region was hit by two successive strong earthquakes, causing heavy casualties and material damage. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez reported that the quakes have killed at least 4,561 people and injured 16,740. At the same time, Venezuela and the United States are seeking to enter a “new phase of dialogue and cooperation,” having resumed diplomatic relations earlier this year after a break since 2019.
On the economic front, Rodríguez previously announced that Venezuela’s oil production has recovered to 1.2 million barrels per day, and that the earthquakes did not affect output. According to the Central Bank of Venezuela, oil export revenues in the first quarter of 2026 rose 21 percent year-on-year to $5.491 billion.