In July of that year, the Venezuelan government ordered the withdrawal of its diplomatic staff from Chile and six other countries that had called for a review of election results that declared Maduro victorious. Since his ouster by US forces in January, several countries have resumed relations with Caracas. "As of today, Chile and Venezuela are beginning a new phase", Chile's hard-right President Jose Antonio Kast stated. "The agreement will allow us to move forward on the tremendous challenges we face as countries on the same continent...related to security, migration, and economic development", he added. Kast is looking to expel some 330,000 undocumented people from Chile, and not having diplomatic ties with Venezuela has proven to be an obstacle to that objective. (Bssnews)