India, Venezuela Strengthen Energy Ties as Hardeep Singh Puri Meets Acting President Delcy Rodríguez

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday held a high-level meeting with Acting President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez, accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and heads of India's leading public sector energy companies.

Sharing details of the meeting on social media, Puri said discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and exploring new avenues for investment and collaboration between the two countries.

"Indian companies already have existing investments in Venezuela and now look forward to building upon them, in addition to looking for newer opportunities for fruitful collaborations, which will provide momentum to our quest towards energy security under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the minister stated.

The meeting comes amid growing engagement between India and Venezuela, with both sides seeking to deepen cooperation in upstream and downstream energy projects. India has recently increased its crude oil imports from Venezuela as part of its broader strategy to diversify energy sources and enhance long-term energy security.

During Rodríguez's ongoing visit to India, discussions have focused on expanding bilateral ties in energy, trade, investment, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, transportation and renewable energy sectors. Both countries are exploring opportunities to strengthen economic cooperation and unlock new investment prospects.

The engagement underscores the importance of Venezuela as a strategic energy partner for India and reflects New Delhi's continued efforts to secure reliable energy supplies amid evolving global market dynamics.