Relationship dossier
Norway
Venezuela
Relationship assessment
Negotiation facilitation coexists with Norwegian criticism of Venezuela’s political conditions.
Norway toward Venezuela
+30Norway facilitated talks between Venezuela’s government and opposition, including hosting negotiations in 2019 and supporting the 2021 Mexico process. It has also criticized Venezuela’s political conditions, making its approach a combination of dialogue and political pressure.
Venezuela toward Norway
+20Venezuela’s government participated in Norway-facilitated negotiations, including the 2021 Mexico process, and signed the 2023 Barbados Agreement. The scope of other direct Venezuelan government cooperation with Norway is unclear.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship has a substantive diplomatic channel centered on Norway’s facilitation of negotiations involving Venezuela’s government and opposition. This cooperation is tempered by Norwegian criticism of Venezuela’s political conditions; the overall bilateral structure is neither a close partnership nor primarily adversarial.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Norway has played a facilitating role in negotiations between Venezuela’s government and opposition, including hosting talks in 2019 and supporting the 2021 Mexico negotiations. The parties signed the Barbados Agreement in 2023. Norway has also criticized Venezuela’s political conditions, so the relationship combines negotiation efforts with political friction. The scope of other direct cooperation is less clear.
Areas of tension
- Norwegian criticism of Venezuela’s political conditions and electoral environment.
Key developments
Norway hosted talks involving Venezuela’s government and opposition.
Norway supported negotiations between Venezuela’s government and opposition in Mexico.
Venezuela’s government and opposition signed the Barbados Agreement after negotiations facilitated by Norway.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and continuity of Norway’s direct cooperation with Venezuela outside the negotiations are unclear.
- The implementation and subsequent status of commitments made in the Barbados Agreement are uncertain.