Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and her Indian counterpart Prime Minister Narendra Modi shake hands in New Delhi, during an official visit at Hyderabad House on June 4, 2026. Photo: Venezuelan Presidential Press.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has held a series of high-level meetings in New Delhi, focusing on expanding energy cooperation, geopolitical alliances, and economic investments. The official itinerary included a comprehensive review of bilateral maps with far-right Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Hyderabad House, a working meeting with Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and a solemn tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial.
The trip made this Thursday, June 4, marks the first official state visit Rodríguez has made to the South Asian nation in her capacity as acting president, following the US empire’s invasion of Venezuela on January 3, that resulted in the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Deputy Cilia Flores, and the murder of over 100 people, including 32 Cuban and 47 Venezuelan soldiers.
Strategic energy cooperation and economic expansion
During the meetings, Rodríguez highlighted India’s status as the world’s most populous country and its current standing as the fourth-largest global economy, which is projected to rise to third place by 2030. The dialogue with Prime Minister Modi centered on boosting mutually beneficial agreements and exploring investment opportunities for Indian corporations in Venezuela’s mining, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and automobile sectors.
A primary pillar of these discussions was the hydrocarbons sector. Since the presidency of the late Hugo Chávez, India has been a major strategic partner for Venezuela. While bilateral trade was severely impacted after 2017 due to the intensification of illegal US sanctions under the first Trump administration, India has recently consolidated its position as one of the primary destinations for Venezuelan oil exports, making energy security a fundamental pillar of the relationship.
Rudrendra Tandon, a senior official in India’s ministry of external affairs, confirmed that the New Delhi talks focused heavily on strengthening energy cooperation. Tandon noted that Venezuela has recently become India’s third-largest crude oil supplier. He added that India is “aggressively seeking new sources of crude oil and energy to strengthen its energy security,” and that Venezuela represents an “opportunity and is very much part of our plans,” as reported by the Associated Press.
Geopolitical context and Washington’s response
The high-level visit attracted international attention days prior when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio leaked details of the trip before either Caracas or New Delhi made an official public announcement. On May 22, speaking to reporters in Miami ahead of his own official visit to New Delhi, Rubio announced that Rodríguez would travel to India for critical oil sales and energy cooperation talks.
The far-right US official emphasized that Washington aims to sell India “as much energy as they’ll buy,” while noting substantial “opportunities with Venezuelan oil” for New Delhi. Political analysts have described this as a US imperialist maneuver intended to squeeze Russia’s energy revenues by positioning Venezuelan crude as an alternative energy source for India, despite US imperialism being responsible in the first place for the distancing of Venezuela and India, due to illegal sanctions enacted by the US empire and its allies.
Bilateral delegations and diplomatic reception
The high-level reception at the Hyderabad House, a facility historically reserved for receptions of the highest foreign dignitaries, underscored the excellent state of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Following her meeting with Modi, the Venezuelan acting leader was also invited to sign the executive guest book.
Earlier in the day, Rodríguez met with Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to consolidate strategic alliances. The Venezuelan delegation covered key areas of economy, foreign affairs, science, technology, transport, and communication. Joining Rodríguez were Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Vice President for Science and Health Isabel Iturria, Science and Technology Minister Gabriela Jiménez, Communication Minister Miguel Perez Pirela, Presidency Office Minister Juan Escalona, and Transport Minister Jacqueline Faría.
The Indian delegation was represented by Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary of the Foreign Ministry; Aman Puri, Joint Secretary and division chief for South America; PK Ashokbabu, Ambassador of India to Venezuela; and Sarath Sankar, undersecretary responsible for the Venezuela desk.
Venezuela’s Acting President Delcy Rodríguez Arrives in India
Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi
Later, Rodríguez paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi during a solemn ceremony at the Raj Ghat Memorial in New Delhi, where Gandhi’s remains lay to rest. The event, broadcast by the Venezuelan state television channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), concluded with the acting head of state placing a floral offering before the eternal flame.
The tribute serves as both a standard protocol for official dignitary visits and a reaffirmation of the core principles of non-violence, mutual respect, and the promotion of international peace that guide Venezuelan diplomacy.
Meeting with Oil and Gas Minister
In the evening, Rodríguez held a meeting with Hardeep Singh Puri, India’s minister of petroleum and natural gas. The Venezuelan delegation accompanying her included Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Minister of Communication Miguel Pérez Pirela, Minister of the Presidency Juan Escalona, Vice Minister of Hydrocarbons Eduardo Ramírez, and Vice Minister for Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania Andrea Corao.
Minister Puri was accompanied by Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal, Joint Secretary Esha Srivastava, and Private Secretary Rasaal Dwivedi. The meeting also featured key corporate leaders from India’s energy sector, including ONGC Chairman Arun Kumar Singh, IOCL Chairman Arvinder Singh Sahney, Oil India Limited Chairman and Managing Director Ranjit Rath, and ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) Managing Director Rajarshi Gupta. Joint Secretary Aman Puri, Indian Ambassador to Venezuela PK Ashokbabu, and Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Sarath Sankar were also in attendance.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/AU
