India’s Foreign Minister has reiterated New Delhi’s concern about the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro
India has called for dialogue between all parties to address the Venezuela issue in the aftermath of the US operation that kidnapped the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, which has met with global condemnation.
India’s external affairs minister, S. Jaishankar, said in Luxembourg on Tuesday that the safety of Venezuela’s citizens is New Delhi’s top priority in the present scenario, while urging all parties engage in diplomacy.
“We are concerned at the developments, but we would really urge all the parties involved to now sit down and sort of come to a position which is in the interest of the well-being and the safety of the people of Venezuela,” he said.
“At the end of the day, that is our concern, that we would want Venezuela, the country with whom over many, many years we’ve had very good relations, and (its) people to come out well from whatever is the direction of events,” Jaishankar added.
‘Our Concern Is The Safety Of The Venezuelan People’ — Jaishankar
Urging all sides to “sit down” and find a way forward, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said India values its long-standing relations with Venezuela and hopes the country emerges well from current… pic.twitter.com/TqRSN2XTP5
Venezuela was once one of India’s key oil suppliers but flows of crude from the South American country largely dried up after sanctions were imposed on it, long before the current crisis. Nonetheless, India’s Reliance Industries still imports 2 million barrels of oil from Venezuela per month, while India’s state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) currently holds stakes in its San Cristobal and Carabobo-1 oil projects.
India’s Foreign Ministry noted earlier that it was in contact with members of the Indian community in Venezuela and would “continue to provide all possible assistance.” There are believed to be 50 Indian citizens in the country, as well as 30 people of Indian origin.
India has also expressed concern over America’s military intervention in Venezuela, while stopping short of naming the US. In a carefully worded statement on Sunday, India’s Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation in the South American country. Jaishankar did not mention the US while speaking at a press conference in Luxembourg.
Other BRICS members, including Russia, China, Brazil and Iran, have condemned America’s raid in the South American country. Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Russia stands in solidarity with its long-time ally Venezuela “in the face of blatant neo-colonial threats and external armed aggression.” Moscow has called for Maduro’s immediate release from US custody and his restoration as head of state.
On Saturday, Maduro and his wife were kidnapped by US forces and flown to the US to face trial. Delcy Rodriguez, who was Venezuela’s vice president at the time, was sworn in as the country’s interim leader on Monday.
