Delcy Rodriguez insists he is leading Venezuela, while Maduro remains the legitimate president

JAKARTA - Interim President of Venezuela Delcy Rodriguez insists that he is running the country in the midst of claims that the United States is controlling Caracas.

"I can say that I am in control of the Venezuelan presidency, as clearly stated in the Venezuelan constitution," Rodriguez told NBC News, as reported by Anadolu (13/2).

"And from the amount of work I have, from how busy I am, I can say this is a very, very hard job and we do it completely day by day," he added.

On the other hand, Rodriguez also said Maduro is still the legitimate leader of Venezuela.

"I can tell you that President Nicolas Maduro is the legitimate president. I will say this as a lawyer, and that's what I believe. Both President Maduro and Cilia Flores, the first lady, are equally innocent," he said.

"I have been invited to the United States. We are considering coming there after we build this cooperation and we can continue everything," he said.

It is known that after President Nicolas Maduro was arrested by US forces in early January and taken to New York, where he was held in a federal detention facility, Rodriguez sought to normalize relations with Washington under President Donald Trump while managing domestic pressure.

Earlier, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright arrived in Caracas on Wednesday to assess the country's oil industry and hold talks with Venezuela's interim government centered on a massive overhaul of the country's energy sector to revive its economy and reintegrate its oil reserves into the global market.