Jump to content

France–Venezuela relations

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Venezuela-France relations)
France-Venezuela relations
Map indicating locations of France and Venezuela

France
Venezuela

France–Venezuela relations are foreign relations between France and Venezuela. France has an embassy in Caracas and Venezuela has an embassy in Paris.

History

[edit]

France and Venezuela have had diplomatic relations since the 19th century, with France recognizing Venezuela's independence, but their interactions have fluctuated, influenced by political changes.

During the 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempts, the French Government "immediately signalled its refusal to accept a breakdown in institutional legitimacy.[1]

A key part of French-Venezuelan history included the 1980s when Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, also known as "Carlos the Jackal," a Venezuelan-born militant, organized deadly attacks including bombings on trains and in Paris.[2]

In the 21st century, relations were impacted by Venezuela's political crises under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Since the Venezuelan presidential crisis started in 2019, France has supported Juan Guaidó. In February 2019, France joined major EU countries and United States in recognising opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president.[3]

State visits

[edit]

President Hugo Chávez met French President Jacques Chirac on three occasions in October 2002, March 2005 and October 2005.[1][4]

In 2007, Chávez visited French President Nicolas Sarkozy to discuss the situation of hostage Ingrid Betancourt held in Colombia.[5][6][7] French President Nicolas Sarkozy also visited Venezuela, meeting with President Hugo Chávez to discuss energy, trade, and political issues.[8]

In 2008, President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Venezuela to strengthen bilateral ties, particularly regarding oil trade and economic cooperation.[9]

In September 2008, Chávez again visited Sarkozy and Chávez said he sought aid from "friendly" countries like France, in exchange for "Venezuelan energy".[10]

In 2010, Sarkozy reciprocated with a visit to Caracas.[11]

President François Hollande visited Venezuela in 2013, reaffirming France's commitment to dialogue with Latin American nations.[7][12]

Economic relations

[edit]

Agreements

[edit]

In October 2008, the Venezuelan and French Foreign Ministers signed 10 agreements on cooperation including bilateral cooperation on energy, military, telecommunications, tourism and fight against drug trafficking.[13]

French investment

[edit]

France has been a significant investor in Venezuela, particularly in the energy sector. Companies like Total and Renault have established a presence in Venezuela, particularly in oil exploration and vehicle manufacturing.[8]

In 2000, French company Pechiney signed an agreement with the Venezuela government to invest USD 260 million over three years to expand state-owned bauxite and alumina.[14]

As of 2005, French oil company TotalEnergies was the largest foreign investor in Venezuela.[15] In 2005, Total commenced negotiations with the Venezuelan Government over a possible US$5 billion project to develop heavy oil in eastern Venezuela.[16] In April 2006, the Venezuelan government seized control of foreign owned oil fields including those operated by Total.[17]

Political relations

[edit]

Relation with Carlos the Jackal

[edit]

The president Hugo Chávez is known to have had a sporadic correspondence with convicted terrorist Carlos the Jackal from the latter's prison cell in France. Chávez replied, with a letter in which he addresses Carlos as a "distinguished compatriot".[18][19][20] On June 1, 2006, Chávez referred to him as his "good friend" during a meeting of OPEC countries held in Caracas.[21]

On 20 November 2009, Chávez publicly defended Carlos, saying that "he is wrongly considered to be a bad guy and is to be praised as a key revolutionary fighter, instead."[22]

France summoned the Venezuelan ambassador and demanded an explanation. Chávez, however, declined to retract his comments.[23]

French Response to the 2019 Venezuelan Crisis

[edit]

France strongly condemned the Maduro government during the 2019 crisis, calling for a peaceful transition of power.[9]

French President Emmanuel Macron sent a tweet stating that if an election was not called in 8 days, France recognise Juan Guaidó as the "President in charge".[24][25] Macron also called the 2018 Venezuelan presidential election "illegitimate". France was among the European Union countries to support Juan Guaidó as the interim president if free elections were not held. France condemned the human rights abuses and the humanitarian crisis, offering support for Venezuelan refugees and urging dialogue within Venezuela.[26][27][28] Macron also imposed sanctions on Venezuela and boycotted Nicolás Maduro's swearing in as President of Venezuela, as with the rest of the EU. France also voiced opposition to the U.S. intervention in Venezuelan affairs, advocating for a multilateral approach to solving the crisis.[9]

French oil company Total S.A. evacuated all of its staff in Venezuela after US imposed sanctions, shortly after EU countries imposed sanctions and recognised Guaido as interim President.[29]

Investigatory relations

[edit]

Plane Crash Investigation

[edit]

In 2005, A Colombian jetliner carrying 152 French citizens crashed in Venezuela while en route to Martinique. Investigators from Venezuela, France, and Colombia collaborated on the inquiry, with French President Jacques Chirac expressing deep sorrow over the tragedy.[30]

French Hostage Rescue

[edit]

In 2004, Venezuelan police freed French-Spanish student Stéphanie Miñana, who had been kidnapped near Caracas. A police raid resulted in the deaths of two captors. Miñana, reportedly traumatized, was rescued after a ransom negotiation attempt.[31]

Cocaine Seizure in France

[edit]

In 2013, French police seized 1.3 tonnes of cocaine aboard an Air France cargo flight from Caracas, marking France’s largest-ever drug bust. Authorities worked with Spanish, British, and Dutch police to arrest multiple suspects and emphasized the need for international cooperation against drug trafficking.[32]

Resident diplomatic missions

[edit]
  • France has an embassy in Caracas.
  • Venezuela has an embassy in Paris.
  • Embassy of Venezuela in Paris
    Embassy of Venezuela in Paris

See also

[edit]

Notes and references

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Venezuela - Ministère des Affaires étrangères". www.diplomatie.gouv.fr. Archived from the original on 2006-09-03.
  2. ^ "'Carlos the Jackal' convicted again". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  3. ^ "France joins major EU powers in recognising Guaido as Venezuela's acting president". 4 February 2019.
  4. ^ HighBeam
  5. ^ "Chavez visit to France fuels hope about hostage". USA Today. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  6. ^ Barchfield, Jenny. "Chavez Visits Paris for Hostage Talks". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  7. ^ a b Smilde, David (25 January 2020). "International Peacemaking in Venezuela's Intractable Conflict" (PDF). Wola. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Venezuela in crisis: All previous updates". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  9. ^ a b c "With Venezuela Buckling under Severe Shortages, Security Council Emergency Session Calls for Political Solution to End Crisis, as Divisions Emerge over Path Forward". UN Press. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  10. ^ "Chavez backs Sarkozy's call for financial summit". The Times Of India. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008.
  11. ^ Arnson, Cynthia J. (27 May 2020). "Venezuela's Authoritarian Allies: THE TIES THAT BIND?" (PDF). Wilson Center. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  12. ^ Smilde, David (20 May 2020). "International peace-making in Venezuela's intractable conflict" (PDF). Venezuela Blog. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  13. ^ "Venezuela, France sign cooperation agreements _English_Xinhua". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24.
  14. ^ "Archived copy". 2000-12-06. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2009-05-21.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Total seeks to resolve differences with Venezuela's Chavez over oil contracts". Forbes. 2005-10-20.[dead link‍]
  16. ^ Luhnow, David; Millard, Peter (2005-02-14). "Venezuelan Oil Deals Ease Tensions". The Wall Street Journal.
  17. ^ "Venezuela's oil field seizures from European companies causes jitters about country's outlook". The America's Intelligence Wire. 2006-04-04.
  18. ^ Carta de Hugo Chávez a Ilich Ramírez Sánchez alias «El Chacal» Archived 2009-05-04 at the Wayback Machine.
  19. ^ Blanco y Negro – secundaria Archived 2009-09-22 at the Wayback Machine.
  20. ^ La familia de Carlos El Chacal" espera más gestos de Chávez.
  21. ^ Nacional y Política - eluniversal.com.
  22. ^ [1] "Venezuela's Hugo Chavez defends 'Carlos the Jackal",] BBC News, 21 November 2009
  23. ^ "Carlos the Jackal was 'revolutionary': Chavez". Agence France-Presse. 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010.
  24. ^ Macron, Emmanuel (2019-01-26). "Le peuple vénézuélien







    doit pouvoir décider librement de son avenir. Sans élections annoncées d'ici 8 jours, nous serons prêts à reconnaître @jguaido comme " Président en charge " du Venezuela pour enclencher un processus politique. Nous y travaillons entre partenaires européens"    . @emmanuelmacron (in French). Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  25. ^ "UK joins with EU leaders to demand Venezuela's Maduro calls election in eight days". The Independent. 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  26. ^ "France's Macron calls election of Venezuela's Maduro 'illegitimate'". France 24. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  27. ^ "Venezuela: The Rise and Fall of a Petrostate | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  28. ^ "What Does France's Political Instability Mean for Europe? | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  29. ^ McGuinness, Romina (2019-02-08). "Venezuela crisis: French oil giant Total evacuates staff from Venezuela amid US sanctions". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  30. ^ "Venezuela plane crash investigated". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  31. ^ "Venezuela police free French hostage". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
  32. ^ "Huge cocaine haul seized in Paris". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=France–Venezuela_relations&oldid=1282874420"