The meeting follows the recent visit to Caracas of the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, who maintained a work agenda with Rodriguez focused on bilateral energy cooperation.

The Venezuelan Acting President, Delcy Rodriguez, received Doug Burgum, Chairman of the Energy Dominance Council and U.S. Secretary of the Interior, at Miraflores Palace in Caracas on Wednesday, March 4, in a meeting aimed at strengthening energy and mining cooperation between both nations.

The official arrived at the Presidential Palace for a bilateral meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of the Interior, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello.

RELATED: U.S. Interior Secretary Burgum Visits Venezuela for Energy Talks

Burgum is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan oil sector with the objective of strengthen supply chains for critical minerals considered strategic in the benefit of both countries. In this sense, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry stated on its website that the U.S. Secretary of the Interior arrived to strengthen “the regional strategic alliance.”

Doug Burgum is one of the highest-ranking Trump administration officials to visit Venezuela following the January, 3 military attack, which results in the killing of more than 100 Venezuelans, both civilians and military personnel, caused damage to housing and social infrastructure and followed the kidnapping of the constitutional President, Nicolas Maduro, and the First Combatant, Cilia Flores, who are currently imprisoned in the United States.

Former North Dakota Governor (2016-2024) and tech entrepreneur Doug Burgum took over as U.S. Secretary of the Interior, pushing for policies for energy sovereignty and infrastructure modernization.

The relevance of his visit lies in his representation of the National Energy Domain Council, an instance created in 2025 by the U.S. administration, a body that centralizes energy policy, aims to accelerate fossil-fuel production and reduce regulations in the sector.

In this context, Venezuela defends its sovereignty over its natural resources and that both countries could maintain a peaceful relationship, free from the economic war and destabilization generated by the White House.

Weeks ago, Venezuela’s National Assembly approved a reform to the Hydrocarbons Law that legislates to foreign investment without compromising national sovereignty. Following the reform’s approval, Washington issued a series of licenses that ease pressure measures, albeit with limitations.

Acting President Delcy Rodriguez asserted that Caracas and Washington are forging “a new agenda of bilateral cooperation”, and since taking office, she has received several U.S. officials, including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, with whom she signed a long-term bilateral energy agreement a few weeks ago.

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