New Delhi, June 5 (HS): Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri held talks with Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gómez, reaffirming India's commitment to strengthening energy cooperation with the South American nation amid ongoing geopolitical turbulence affecting global oil markets.

Hardeep Singh Puri met Delcy Eloina Rodríguez Gómez in New Delhi on June 4. The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as chairpersons of leading public-sector oil companies. Both sides discussed opportunities for building a long-term and robust energy partnership encompassing trade, investment, and cooperation in the oil and gas sector.

During the discussions, the Union Minister said that India and Venezuela share a natural partnership rooted in a long-standing friendship between the two countries. Reiterating India's strong support for the revival and development of Venezuela's energy sector, he said that Indian companies are keen to expand their participation and presence in the country.

Recognizing Venezuela's important role in India's energy diversification strategy, Puri expressed India's desire to further strengthen energy trade and cooperation with the Latin American nation.

Describing India as a trusted partner of Venezuela, Acting President Rodríguez invited Indian companies to play a more active role in the modernization and development of Venezuela's oil and gas sector. She highlighted the complementarities between the two countries in the energy domain and invited an Indian delegation to visit Venezuela to explore new avenues of cooperation.

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas noted that despite geopolitical uncertainties, Venezuela remained among the leading suppliers of crude oil to India during April and May, underscoring the strong potential for future collaboration.

India's average monthly crude oil imports from Venezuela increased significantly from 64,027 metric tonnes during FY 2025-26 to 1,047,148 metric tonnes during April-May of FY 2026-27, reflecting the growing importance of the bilateral energy relationship.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar