The Venezuelan president added that the country welcomes the investments from the United States and expressed hope that one day he will have a meeting with Trump.
"One day, I hope to shake Donald Trump’s hand and discuss the mutual interests and the Venezuelan-US relations face to face," Maduro said at the meeting.
The Venezuelan president said in June that he was ready to restore relations with the United States and appoint a new ambassador to Washington as both countries previously recalled their ambassadors. In the same month, Politico newspaper reported citing Trump administration officials that Washington is considering imposing new targeted sanctions against Caracas in the coming weeks, though it has not listed specific names of individuals or entities.
Diplomatic relations between Washington and Caracas have been strained over recent years. In December 2010, Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan president at that time, refused to accept US Ambassador Larry Palmer nominated by President Barack Obama and accused the US diplomat of disrespectful statements about Venezuela. The United States retaliated by revoking the visa of Venezuelan Ambassador Bernardo Alvarez.
Venezuela has been experiencing a period of political instability for a long time because of the drastic economic situation in the country. The most recent protests erupted in April after the country's Supreme Court tried to take over legislative powers from the opposition-controlled National Assembly. The top court reversed the ruling but the step did not stop the mass demonstrations.
In May, Maduro announced his decision to call the constituent assembly, which was regarded by the opposition as an attempted coup and resulted in further escalation of tensions that resulted in the deaths of over 90 people.
