The Secretary of Energy of the United States, Chris Wright, visited Caracas this Wednesday (11) and signed an energy agreement classified as “historic” by the American government, during a meeting with the interim dictator of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, at the Miraflores Palace, headquarters of the executive branch.
According to a statement from the US Department of Energy, Wright’s visit to Venezuela is “historic”. The department said the secretary will visit Venezuelan oil fields to observe “how President Donald Trump’s historic U.S.-Venezuela Energy Agreement is promoting peace and prosperity.”
The visit takes place two weeks after the Venezuelan Parliament approved a reform of the law that opens the oil sector to foreign investment. It also comes after the United States Treasury Department issued new licenses that ease restrictions for American companies to operate in the Venezuelan oil market, albeit under strict conditions of control and accountability.
During the meeting with Delcy this Wednesday, Wright stated that he took a message from President Donald Trump, who, according to him, has a “passionate commitment” to transforming the bilateral relationship between the two countries, which has been broken since 2019.
“Our countries share a long history with many chapters. I bring a message from President Trump, who has a passionate commitment to transforming the relationship between the United States and Venezuela”, he declared in a conversation with the press alongside Rodríguez.
According to the American secretary, the objective is to unite the countries and “bring trade, peace, prosperity, jobs and opportunities to Venezuela” through a partnership. He further stated that there was a “frank” conversation about opportunities and challenges, and that both parties committed to “working together to resolve them”.
Delcy Rodríguez announced that, during this Wednesday’s meeting, a “long-term productive partnership” was established between Venezuela and the USA in energy matters and that the two countries discussed projects in the areas of oil, gas, mining and electrical energy. According to her, the energy agenda must become a “driver of the bilateral relationship” and be “productive, effective, beneficial for both countries and complementary”.
The meeting marks the first visit by a senior Washington official after the January 3 military operation, during which dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured. It also occurs in the context of the reopening of the American diplomatic mission in Caracas, closed seven years ago after the breakdown of relations in 2019.
In addition to the meeting with Rodríguez, Wright’s official agenda this Wednesday included meetings with businesspeople and international media outlets. This Thursday (12), he should visit the facilities of the companies Petroindependencia and Petropiar, operated by Chevron in the state of Anzoátegui.
After Maduro’s capture, Trump called for “full access” to Venezuelan oil resources. Wright stated that Washington will control the sale of the country’s oil for an “indefinite” period.
