U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright visits Venezuela (center) [AFP=Yonhap News]  U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, responsible for energy policies such as oil under the Donald Trump administration, visited Venezuela on the 11th (local time).

This marks the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Venezuela since U.S. forces captured President Nicolas Maduro in a surprise operation last month and extradited him to the United States.

In a statement released by a spokesperson on the same day, the Department of Energy stated, "Secretary Wright arrived early this morning in Caracas to advance President Donald Trump's mission to restore prosperity, safety, and security for Venezuela, the United States, and the entire Western Hemisphere."

The Department of Energy added, "During this historic visit, Secretary Wright will directly meet with Venezuelan political leadership, including interim President Delcy Rodríguez, economic leaders from all major sectors, and the Venezuelan people."

The Department of Energy also mentioned, "He is also scheduled to visit several oil fields to see firsthand how President Trump's historic U.S.-Venezuela energy agreement is bringing peace and prosperity."

Earlier, in an interview with U.S. political news outlet Politico on the 9th, Secretary Wright announced his plans to visit Venezuela and stated that he would discuss the future of the country's state-owned oil company, PDVSA, during this visit.

Given that the United States has viewed PDVSA as an obstacle preventing international oil capital from entering Venezuela, Secretary Wright is expected to demand improvements and restructuring of the company's management leadership from the interim Venezuelan political leadership to resolve these issues.