CARACAS, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Venezuela's oil ministry

will ask the presidency to suspend a wide cooperation agreement

with Trinidad and Tobago for energy development, including joint

gas projects in negotiation, the South American country's oil

minister said on Monday.

Trinidad's previous government had been planning numerous

joint gas projects with Venezuela, including the 4.2 trillion

cubic feet Dragon field to be developed by Shell and

the National Gas Company of Trinidad, for which it

received a U.S. license earlier this month.

However, the new administration of Prime Minister Kamla

Persad-Bissessar has not been seen as an ally by Venezuelan

President Nicolas Maduro.

Since taking office in April, her new government has had a

close relationship with the administration of U.S. President

Donald Trump, while tensions between Washington and Caracas have

escalated.

The current relationship between Trinidad and Venezuela,

which could complement each other's energy needs, is "hostile,"

Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez said in a broadcast message.

"In consequence, all gas agreements between Venezuela and

Trinidad would be suspended," she said, adding that President

Maduro is expected to receive the suspension request soon.

Venezuelan officials have criticized the authorization

Trinidad received from the U.S. to negotiate the flagship Dragon

project with U.S.-sanctioned Venezuela, and said Trinidad would

have to pay for any gas supplies.

The Dragon development, which lies in Venezuelan waters, has

faced long-standing delays amid frequent U.S. policy changes

since Washington imposed energy sanctions on Venezuela in 2019.

Trinidad's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her

country did not need Venezuela's gas.

"We have our plans to grow our economy both within the

energy and non-energy sectors," she told the Trinidad and Tobago

Newsday newspaper on Monday.

Shell, NGC and BP, which are involved in various

projects that include Venezuela, did not immediately reply to

requests for comment.

Shell is separately developing the Manatee gas project,

which crosses the maritime border into Venezuela but had

received permission from the Maduro government to be developed

on the Trinidad side independently. It was not immediately clear

if that project could also be at risk.