🏛️ Venezuela opens oil sector and initiates transition talks with the U.S.

Oneliner

Venezuela has approved a new hydrocarbons law that opens its oil sector to private investment, marking a significant shift from past nationalization policies. Interim President Delcy Rodríguez met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Laura Dogu to discuss a potential political transition following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Additionally, a proposed amnesty law for political prisoners aims to address past political violence. These developments signal a potential change in Venezuela's political and economic landscape, though skepticism remains regarding the government's commitment to genuine reform.

Key points

• Venezuela's government has approved a new hydrocarbons law allowing private investment in the oil sector.
• Interim President Delcy Rodríguez met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Laura Dogu to discuss a potential political transition.
• An amnesty law for political prisoners is proposed, aiming to address past political violence.
• The reforms signal a significant shift from nationalization policies established under Hugo Chávez.

Links

• Deutsche Welle: Machado dispuesta a hablar con Rodríguez sobre la transición
• Público: Un mes de 'secuestro' de Venezuela: Delcy Rodríguez acelera el deshielo con EEUU
• Le Monde: Venezuela : les Etats-Unis évoquent une « transition » post-Maduro
• El Mundo: Delcy Rodríguez se reúne por primera vez con jefa diplomática de EEUU en Caracas
• RFI: Venezuela: Washington évoque à nouveau la nécessité d'une "transition" à Caracas
• Tagesschau (ARD): Im Venezuela keimt vorsichtiger Optimismus
• France 24: Washington presses Venezuela interim leader on post-Maduro 'transition'
• El País: Venezuela se olvida de Chávez y abre el petróleo al sector privado
• Der Tagesspiegel: „Sie macht so wenig wie nötig, um zu gefallen“: Hat Venezuelas Übergangspräsidentin genug von Trumps Befehlen?
• Al Jazeera: What does 303 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil look like?

Facts

• The new hydrocarbons law allows private companies to manage oil operations and marketing.
• Rodríguez met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Laura Dogu on February 2, 2026.
• The proposed amnesty law aims to address political violence from 1999 to the present.
• Venezuela's oil production currently stands at approximately 1.2 million barrels per day.

Quotes

• The aim is to prepare the ground and incentivise international capital to invest in the industry — Rafael Quiroz
• If it is necessary to exchange views in a meeting to define the timetable for a transition, it will be done — María Corina Machado

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