U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met on Monday with the CEO of Brazil's government- controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras to discuss potential Brazil- U.S. partnerships in the oil sector.

Clinton and Petrobras CEO Maria das Gracas Foster held talks in a meeting organized by Brazil's National Industry Confederation ( CNI) and the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham), according to local media reports.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kenneth Salazar, who is accompanying Clinton in her visit to Brazil, said that the U.S. is interested in investing in the oil sector.

Clinton also said Brazil and the U.S. should increase their cooperation in innovation, a matter already highlighted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff during her recent visit to Washington D.C..

Clinton said that investing in technology will help both Brazil and the U.S. protect their economies from the economic crisis.

"There is no guarantee that the progress Brazil and the U.S. obtained will continue forever," she said, stressing the importance of innovation amid a crisis scenario and saying that the two countries are acting upon this principle.

The U.S. is Brazil's second largest trade partner, with bilateral trade amounting to 60 billion U.S. dollars last year.