VENEZUELA and the United States agreed on Thursday to resume diplomatic relations between the two countries.

This comes even as the US holds the Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Celia Flores in detention in New York.

This came after a deadly US raid on Venezuela during which 100 people were killed.

A statement from the Venezuelan government said the two nations had agreed to restore diplomatic and consular relations to “strengthen regional stability and promote political dialogue based on mutual respect, sovereignty and cooperation.”

Venezuelan authorities said they were confident that the “normalising” of relations between the two countries would “contribute to strengthening understanding and opening opportunities for a positive and mutually beneficial relationship.”

The re-establishment of diplomatic ties was announced during the visit of US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and a delegation of senior business executives to Caracas.

During the visit, the US side signed agreements with Venezuela giving them wide access to the country’s energy sector.

Three weeks earlier, US Energy Secretary Christopher Wright also visited the country, during which both nations agreed to move ahead with oil, gas and electrical energy projects.

The Venezuelans say the thaw in diplomatic relations is aimed at “harnessing national wealth for comprehensive development, strengthening both economic prosperity and national security through responsible and strategic international alliances.”