Israel and Venezuela announced on Tuesday that they had renewed consular relations 17 years after diplomatic ties were severed between the two countries. The move comes after Israel sent an aid and disaster response delegation to Venezuela in June following devastating twin earthquakes that left thousands dead. “Following talks held in recent weeks and days between Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Venezuelan Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia, Israel and Venezuela have agreed to renew consular relations,” a statement from Israel’s foreign ministry said. “The talks resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism that will enable the provision of consular services to citizens of both countries,” it added, noting the two nations “have not maintained diplomatic relations since 2009”. Venezuela, together with Bolivia, broke diplomatic ties with Israel in January 2009 a few days after the start of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza.