India and Venezuela held high-level talks on Thursday aimed at strengthening bilateral cooperation, with a particular focus on energy security and expanding economic engagement across multiple sectors.
Speaking at a special media briefing on the visit of Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Rudrendra Tandon said the visiting leader was accompanied by a large ministerial delegation and held official discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a working lunch.
Highlighting the significance of energy cooperation, Tandon said Venezuela has emerged as India’s third-largest supplier of crude oil and that discussions were centred on forging a long-term energy partnership.
“There is perfect complementarity for India and Venezuela to work in the energy sector, both upstream as well as downstream,” he said, adding that Venezuela views India as a stable and reliable demand partner for the long term.
The discussions also explored opportunities to broaden economic ties beyond the energy sector. Tandon described Venezuela as a resource-rich country that is showing signs of sustained economic growth, creating new avenues for cooperation.
He said significant opportunities exist in sectors such as mining, animal husbandry, transportation, agricultural equipment, automobiles and pharmaceuticals. The two sides discussed ways to facilitate greater participation by Indian companies in these sectors and promote new business partnerships.
Describing the engagement as “very businesslike and very substantive”, Tandon said the discussions were marked by warmth and mutual understanding. He noted that the Venezuelan delegation acknowledged India’s support during both challenging and favourable periods, and views India as a preferred partner for the future.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Acting President Delcy Rodriguez held wide-ranging discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and exploring new areas of cooperation.
Sharing details of the meeting on X, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “PM Narendra Modi held wide-ranging discussions with Acting President Delcy Rodriguez of Venezuela today. The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation in energy, trade, investment, healthcare and automobiles, among others.”
He added that the two leaders also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual interest and reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the bilateral partnership and advancing the interests of the Global South.
The two sides also discussed regional and global developments of mutual concern and reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across key sectors.
India and Venezuela reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and advancing the shared interests of the Global South.
(With ANI inputs)
