India, Venezuela discuss health, energy, agri cooperation during meet between PM Modi, Acting President Rodriguez
New Delhi, June 5
Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez on Friday expressed gratitude over her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 4 in New Delhi and shared how the leaders held discussions on areas such as transportation, health, energy and agriculture, among others.
In a series of posts on X, she expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome and added, "In this fraternal meeting, we addressed bilateral cooperation in the following areas: transportation, health, energy complementarity, agriculture, science and technology; exploring new avenues for strategic alliances for the benefit of both peoples."
She underlined that they reaffirmed the commitment to continue strengthening the relationship, for the sake of a future of shared prosperity among our nations and for the Global South.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said that there exists a perfect complementarity for India and Venezuela to work in the energy sector, both upstream and downstream. He noted how the discussions during the visit of Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez also went into broadening the economic partnership to other areas.
"Venezuela has already emerged as the third largest supplier, this month, so naturally today's discussions focused on forging an energy partnership. They see India as a stable demander for many years to come. Therefore, there exists a perfect complementarity for India and Venezuela to work in the energy sector, both upstream and downstream. The discussions also went into broadening the economic partnership to other areas," he said.
"Venezuela is a resource-rich country. It's not just critical minerals; it's also gold, diamonds, and other materials. So, mining is very much there. In fact, there was a discussion on how to assess the potential reserves that they have, or whether we could cooperate in that area, and that is very much part of the follow-up activities we will be undertaking," he added.
Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez is on a five-day visit to India.
India has been an important partner of Venezuela in the areas of energy and investment. Indian PSUs have made significant investments in Venezuela in the energy sector and they are keen to explore opportunities for further enhancing their presence.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good diplomatic move overall, but I hope we're not just chasing oil deals while ignoring human rights concerns in Venezuela. Our foreign policy should balance pragmatism with values. Just my two paise.
👏 Finally diversifying beyond Gulf oil! Venezuela as 3rd largest supplier this month is huge news. Also like that they're looking at mining and agriculture - could be a win-win for both countries. Smart diplomacy by Modi ji.
As someone working in renewable energy, I'm a bit concerned that we're still doubling down on fossil fuel partnerships instead of accelerating the green transition. Yes, we need energy security, but at what cost to climate goals? 🌍
I'm an American living in India and find this fascinating. India's growing energy needs are massive, and Venezuela is a logical partner. Hope this also opens doors for more South-South cooperation beyond just oil. Good to see Modi engaging globally.
Venezuela has so much potential - gold, diamonds, critical minerals! If we can secure reliable supply chains for our industries, this could be a game changer. But we must be careful with investment risks. Let's have solid contracts in place.
Interesting to see this from Canada's perspective
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