The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, met this Wednesday in Caracas with the country's acting head of state, Delcy Rodríguez, to promote a 'historic' energy agreement. This is the first visit by a high-ranking Washington official following the military operation in January and amid decisions by both countries to facilitate investment in the oil sector. Wright arrived at the Miraflores presidential palace two weeks after the Venezuelan parliament passed a law opening the oil sector to foreign investment and after the U.S. Treasury Department relaxed restrictions for American oil companies to operate in the Caribbean nation. In a communiqué dated in Caracas, the U.S. Department of Energy described Wright's arrival as 'historic.' He will visit some of the country's oil fields 'to see firsthand how the historic Energy Agreement between the United States and Venezuela under President Donald Trump is promoting peace and prosperity.' Venezuelan Communications Minister Miguel Pérez Pirela later reaffirmed on social media that the meeting's objective is to review the energy agenda, which he said must be beneficial for both nations. Also present at the meeting were the president of state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Héctor Obregón Pérez; the Caribbean nation's diplomatic representative to the U.S., Félix Plasencia; and the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires in Caracas, Laura Dogu. Earlier, Dogu stated on X that this is a 'key' visit to 'advance the vision' of President Donald Trump for a 'prosperous Venezuela.' In addition to the meeting with Rodríguez, the U.S. secretary's official schedule includes meetings with business leaders and international media on Wednesday. On Thursday, he is scheduled to visit facilities of the joint ventures Petroindependencia and Petropiar, operated by the U.S. oil company Chevron in the eastern state of Anzoátegui. This Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury Department issued two new licenses that relax restrictions for American companies to operate in the Venezuelan oil market, albeit under strict control and reporting conditions. Until now, Chevron was the only U.S. oil company with a special license to operate in Venezuela. Following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, Trump demanded 'full access' to Venezuela's oil resources, while the Secretary of Energy stated that Washington will control the sale of the country's crude oil for an 'indefinite' period.
