US Interior Secretary Burgum meeting with Venezuela acting President Rodriguez

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum met with Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Wednesday afternoon after arriving in the South American country earlier in the day, in an encounter filmed briefly by media outlets.



The two met with the U.S. representative in Venezuela, Laura Dogu, in Caracas' Miraflores presidential palace. Burgum met earlier with executives from foreign mining companies, two sources said, as ​the interim Venezuelan government weighs changes to mineral regulations.



The visit is part of U.S. efforts to open Venezuela to American investment, especially in oil, gas and minerals, as the Trump administration tries to exert more control over the country following a January U.S. raid that captured President Nicolas Maduro. It is the second visit by a U.S. cabinet secretary since

the ouster of Maduro, who courted the likes of China and Russia as allies.