Acting President Delcy Rodríguez of Venezuela arrived in New Delhi on 3 June 2026 for a five-day working visit to India. The visit was expected to focus on expanding collaboration in trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, technology, healthcare, transportation, and renewable energy, reflecting a broader push by both countries to deepen bilateral ties. Rodríguez was accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Venezuela’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Communication and Information, Economy and Finance, Science and Technology, and the Minister of Transportation.
This marked Rodríguez’s sixth visit to India, having previously visited in her capacity as Venezuela’s foreign minister in 2015 and as vice president in 2019, 2023, 2024, and 2025.
On 4 June, Rodríguez first met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as well as the Minister of Petroleum. Later the same day, Rodríguez held official bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House, which included a working lunch. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal posted, X: “The leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation in energy, trade, investment, healthcare, automobiles, among others.”
Speaking at a special MEA briefing, Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon stated that Venezuela had already emerged as India’s third-largest supplier of crude oil that month. The two sides discussed participation by Indian companies in both upstream and downstream activities in Venezuela’s oil sector.
Addressing the media, Secretary Tandon stated: “The Venezuelan energy sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation. They see India as a stable demand for many years to come. Therefore, there exists a perfect complementarity for India and Venezuela to work in the energy sector, both upstream as well as downstream.”
He further described the tone of the talks: “Overall, I would say that the conversation was very businesslike, very substantive. There was genuine warmth between the two delegations and an acknowledgement by the Venezuelan side that India has stood with Venezuela in bad times as well as in good times.”
Bilateral trade between India and Venezuela stood at USD 678.94 million in FY 2025–26. Indian public sector undertakings have made significant investments in Venezuela’s energy sector, including ONGC Videsh Limited’s joint venture with Corporación Venezolana del Petróleo. The Venezuelan delegation also visited several sites connected with India’s energy, pharmaceutical, and automotive sectors to gain insights into India’s technological and industrial capabilities and to explore opportunities for collaboration. Rodríguez also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat during her itinerary. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening the bilateral partnership and advancing the interests of the Global South.
