Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, abruptly ended her participation in the FII Priority international forum in Miami on Tuesday, March 25, 2026, just as panelists were preparing to ask questions about the situation in her country. The incident raises questions about transparency as Venezuela seeks foreign investment.
Rodríguez delivered a lengthy presentation on the Venezuelan economy and potential investment opportunities. However, when the session moved to a question-and-answer period, her connection was unexpectedly cut without explanation.
Richard Attias, the Moroccan businessman moderating the panel, attempted to proceed with a brief exchange given the limited time. “Thank you for being with us this morning. As we have little time left, I will ask you two questions,” he began. Noticing the lack of response, he added: “I hope the president is still online. Has she disconnected? Okay, that saves me time and at least we don’t have a dialogue.”
With no response forthcoming, the panel moved on to the next session.
Venezuela “leads growth” in the region
During her presentation, Rodríguez defended Venezuela’s economic performance, asserting that the country is currently leading growth in Latin America, citing data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
She also claimed that the nation has experienced 19 consecutive quarters of expansion, which she characterized as a sustained recovery despite what she described as a “restrictive” environment marked by international sanctions.
“19 consecutive quarters of economic growth that have already given a 5-year trend of recovery for our economy. And I repeat: this is within a restrictive environment due to unilateral coercive measures. When we see that productive investment grows more than the Gross Domestic Product, we are ensuring investments and guaranteeing the future,” she said.
Rodríguez highlighted sectors such as construction, hydrocarbons, finance and mining as drivers of growth, and stated that the country has favorable conditions for investment, including recent laws that she says offer greater fiscal flexibility and international arbitration mechanisms.
“Venezuela is today one of the safest countries in our region, with 3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, when Latin America has 16.3% homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Ecuador has 33% homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Venezuela today has a security and stability environment,” the acting president indicated, acknowledging that there are important social debts that must be addressed.
“See the reality of Venezuela”
The acting president insisted on the require to “de-ideologize” investment environments and called on international business leaders to “see the reality of Venezuela.”
However, the disconnection prevented her from answering questions about her presentation, at a forum specifically designed for investors and business leaders who may be interested in learning more details about the country’s situation.
Rodríguez, without mentioning the capture of Nicolás Maduro, highlighted advances in diplomatic dialogue with U.S. President Donald Trump and advocated for greater economic integration in Latin America. The relationship between Rodríguez and Trump has been a subject of increasing attention, as reported by the Associated Press.
Delcy Rodríguez also emphasized Venezuela’s energy potential, noting that the country possesses the largest oil reserves in the world and competitive production costs. She added that the country eliminated fuel imports in 2025 thanks to the recovery of the industry.
“I know the proposal that President Trump has. We come from moments of much turbulence in our bilateral relations and I appreciate that at this time both governments are willing to foster a constructive, bilateral and mutually beneficial diplomatic agenda,” she expressed.
