Washington, Sept. 17 (SANA)The United States andVenezuelahave signed new investment agreements coveringoil and goldprojects, including the development of a major heavy-crude field in Venezuela’s Orinoco Basin, AFP reported.

U.S.-based Continental Resources, owned by businessman Harold Hamm, signed a memorandum of understanding with Venezuela’s state oil company to operate and develop the Ayacucho 2 field.

Continental said the concession covers about 126,000 acres and holds an estimated 30 billion barrels of oil, equivalent to roughly 10 percent of Venezuela’s proven reserves.

U.S. Energy SecretaryChris Wrightdescribed the project as a “historic agreement in U.S.-Venezuelan relations,” saying it marked an important step toward making the Western Hemisphere a center of the global energy system.

Officials also announced an agreement betweenU.S.-based Heni Capital and the Venezuelan government to develop gold-mining projects in the country.

The deals were announced on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Houston.

They follow a Sept. 2 agreement that gave the United States control over about one-fifth of Venezuela’s oil reserves, which U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpdescribed as “the largest oil deal in the world.”