CARACAS (AFP)

Interim president Delcy Rodriguez of oil-rich Venezuela said Friday she had agreed on energy cooperation with India, a day after Caracas opened its hydrocarbons sector to private companies.

Since the January 3 ouster of leader Nicolas Maduro in a US military operation, Venezuela has been working to reset ties as it seeks to revive its economy.

In a telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, "we addressed strategic cooperation in energy," said Rodriguez, who assumed power with US President Donald Trump's consent after Maduro's toppling.

She wrote on Telegram they also discussed partnerships in the fields of agriculture, science and technology, mining, and tourism as well as the pharmaceutical and automotive industries.

Modi said on X that he and Rodriguez "agreed to further deepen and expand our bilateral partnership in all areas, with a shared vision of taking India-Venezuela relations to new heights in the years ahead."

Venezuela sits on the world's biggest proven oil reserves and reformed laws this week to open the sector up to private investment.

Since Maduro's departure, Trump has pressured Caracas to open its oil fields to American investors. He has agreed to work with Rodriguez, provided she gives Washington access to oil.

Trump has said Washington is now "in charge" of Venezuela and Rodriguez will be "turning over" millions of barrels of oil to be sold at market price.

Rodriguez has already plowed $300 million from the first US sale of Venezuelan crude into shoring up the country's struggling currency, the bolivar. She has also spoken with the leaders of Spain, Brazil, and Colombia in a bid to bolster diplomatic and economic ties.

Venezuela sits on about a fifth of the world's oil reserves.