India Holds Talks With Venezuela On Trade, Tech Amid Maduro’s Row With US

India and Venezuela held their fifth Foreign Office Consultations on Wednesday during which both countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as trade, health and digital technology.

According to an official statement, both countries exchanged views on regional and international developments and agreed to coordinate closely in multilateral fora, advancing India – Venezuela partnership.

“Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in key areas including trade, health and pharmaceuticals, digital technology, agriculture, development partnership, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. They also reaffirmed their commitment towards enhancing collaboration in multilateral forums of mutual interest,” it stated.

The countries also agreed

to hold the next round of the FOC in Caracas at a mutually convenient date.

While India was represented by Secretary (East) in Ministry of External Affairs P Kumaran and Venezuela was represented by Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Tatiana Josefina Pugh Moreno.

This comes amid rising tensions between US and Venezuela. The US on Monday formally designated the Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO), layering additional terrorism-related sanctions on the group. It said this group includes the Venezuelan president and other high-ranking officials.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has always rejected allegations of his involvement in drug trafficking, and his government has denied the presence of the alleged cartel.