Venezuela confirms at the UN its will to expand and diversify trade with India

Published at: 22/09/2026 12:16 PM

Regarding the 81st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), the Deputy Minister for Latin America of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Mauricio Rodríguez, participated this Tuesday in a ministerial meeting between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Republic of India, in which he highlighted - in the name of President Delcy Rodríguez Gómez - her country's will to expand and diversify trade, promote productive investment and deepen cooperation in strategic sectors with the South Asian power.

From New York, United States, the Venezuelan diplomat referred to the areas of “hydrocarbons, renewable energy, agriculture and food security; pharmaceutical industry and health; transportation; science, technology, innovation and space industry; protection and conservation of the environment; digital public infrastructures and technological transformation; and talent training”.

“It's not just about trading more. We must also trade better and build capacities together: add greater value to our resources, incorporate knowledge and technology, and generate new opportunities for our peoples,” he said.

Rodríguez highlighted that Caracas and New Delhi have recently made progress in “new areas of cooperation” and continue to identify opportunities in strategic sectors. “We want more Indian companies to find opportunities in Venezuela to invest, produce and grow, and for our companies to be able to access more and more the vast Indian market.”

“This cooperation must be developed based on mutual respect, sovereignty and our national priorities. Latin America and the Caribbean are a Zone of Peace and we want to preserve that heritage. We do not seek to replace some partners with others. We seek to expand our options and build relationships that contribute to the development and well-being of our peoples, ” he said.

Under this narrative, the national representative recalled that “exactly 10 years ago, here in New York, we established the CELAC-India Permanent Mechanism for Political Dialogue and Cooperation, based on principles that remain in full force: equality, mutual benefit, cooperation and respect for international law.”

“A decade later, we have the opportunity to give it renewed momentum. The challenge is to transform our complementarities into projects, investments and concrete results for our peoples, and to strengthen the mechanisms to ensure continuity, coordination and follow-up to our cooperation,” he added.

The Deputy Minister reiterated his gratitude for India's solidarity during the tragedy in Venezuela caused by the double earthquake that occurred on June 24, assuring that “Operation Friendship”, which “included the temporary installation of a field hospital, equipment and medical supplies and medicines, was a concrete expression of closeness between our peoples at a particularly difficult time”.

MPPRE/Mazo News Team