Key facts
- A Venezuelan delegation led by interim President Delcy Rodriguez is in New York to discuss energy, debt, and mining with US counterparts.
- Rodriguez's trip to the US is her first since taking office.
- US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with Rodriguez.
- US oil producer Continental Resources signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela for an area in the Orinoco Belt.
- US investment firm Heeney Capital was granted operational and export rights for a gold mine.
- The Inter-American Development Bank is developing a two-year engagement plan for Venezuela.
A Venezuelan delegation, headed by interim President Delcy Rodriguez, is in New York to engage in discussions with US counterparts regarding energy, debt, and mining. These talks are anticipated to culminate in agreements aimed at revitalizing Venezuela's primary industries. Rodriguez's arrival in New York marked her inaugural visit to the US since assuming her current role. Venezuelan ministers and senior officials have been engaged in negotiations for months leading up to Rodriguez's trip. She was scheduled to meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, as per his agenda. The planned meeting with US President Donald Trump is set to occur on the sidelines of a reception hosted by the US President, according to US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz. Venezuela's Foreign Affairs and Information ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Earlier in September, Venezuela's Oil Minister Paula Henao, Mining Minister Hector Silva, and senior officials from the state oil company PDVSA attended a G20 energy conference in Houston. There, a memorandum of understanding was signed with US oil producer Continental Resources concerning an area within the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela's primary oil-producing region. Additionally, a contract was finalized granting US investment firm Heeney Capital operational and export rights for a gold mine. Sources also indicated that preliminary discussions have been ongoing for months with US energy major ExxonMobil regarding a potential return to Venezuela's oilfields. Meanwhile, the Inter-American Development Bank is developing a two-year engagement plan for Venezuela, which will partially focus on the electricity sector and social protection. The bank's President, Ilan Goldfajn, stated that this initiative includes deploying missions to assess the nation's macroeconomic framework and data, as well as to determine investment requirements across various sectors.