India sees Venezuelan oil ‘opportunity’ as Rodriguez meets Modi

NEW DELHI: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez on Thursday for talks to bolster trade between the oil exporter and his energy-hungry nation.

New Delhi’s foreign ministry said India saw Venezuela’s vast oil reserves as an “opportunity”, saying it had already become a major source of crude.

Rodriguez has led Venezuela, which accounts for around 17 percent of global crude reserves, since January, when US forces captured former socialist president Nicolas Maduro.

She was given a red-carpet welcome and shook hands with Modi outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House before the talks began.

Modi later said that he was “happy” to have met the Venezuelan leader.

“We had extensive discussions on expanding our cooperation in energy, critical minerals, technology, agriculture, health and people-to-people ties,” he said in a post on X.

“As a valued partner in Latin America, our close cooperation with Venezuela holds immense importance for the Global South.”

Rodriguez, speaking after she landed on Wednesday, said she expected “very fruitful” discussions.

Rodriguez’s visit comes as India — the world’s third-largest oil importer — ramps up purchases of Venezuelan crude to offset supply disruptions linked to war in the Middle East.

“The government… is aggressively seeking out new sources of crude oil and energy to ensure India’s energy security,” senior Indian foreign ministry official Rudrendra Tandon told reporters after the meeting.

“So Venezuela is an opportunity, and it is very much part of our plan.”

India normally sources about half of its crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

But Iran has restricted shipping through the strait — which normally carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas shipments — since the United States and Israel launched attacks on February 28.