Yáñez has been appointed by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and will replace Carlos Scull, who had been named by opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has been recognized as Venezuela's legitimate head of state by several foreign governments, including previous Peruvian administrations, but not by current President Pedro Castillo Terrones.

Yáñez's arrival in Lima brings diplomatic estrangement between the two countries to an end. It had started under former Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski some four years ago.

“Both authorities expressed their interest in working for the friendship and integration of both peoples,” said the Peruvian Foreign Ministry Tuesday.

Back in October, Venezuela had welcomed Perú Libre leader Richard Freddy Rojas García as the new ambassador to Caracas. Rojas had been previously turned down by Panama when Castillo tried to send him to the embassy there.

Yánez has held diplomatic positions in the past. In 2014, he served as Vice-Minister for Latin America and the Caribbean attached to the Ministry of Popular Power for Foreign Relations. He was also the Venezuelan ambassador to Bolivia in 2020 when diplomatic ties were also restored with that country following the interim regime of non-elected President Jeanine Áñez. “We restore bilateral relations to strengthen strategic ties for the good of our peoples,” Bolivia's President Luis Arce had said.