NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said India was “concerned” about the developments in Venezuela and urged all parties to prioritise the safety and well-being of the people of Venezuela.
Speaking at an event in Luxembourg, Jaishankar avoided directly referring to the United States or its military action, instead stressing dialogue and humanitarian considerations.
“We are concerned at the developments, but we would really urge all the parties involved to now sit down and come to a position that is in the interest of the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela,” he said.
Jaishankar added that India’s primary concern was that the Venezuelan people emerge from the crisis unharmed. “At the end of the day, that is our concern, that we would want Venezuela, a country with whom over many, many years we’ve had very good relations, and its people, to come out well from whatever is the direction of events,” he said.
The crisis erupted after US forces carried out sudden strikes in Caracas on January 3, capturing Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flying them to the United States.
The operation followed months of threats by US president Donald Trump, who accused Maduro of running drug cartels and engaging in narco-terrorism.
Maduro and Flores, now lodged in a Brooklyn jail, appeared before a Manhattan court on Monday. The Venezuelan leader pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking charges and remained defiant, declaring himself the “president of my country” and insisting he was “innocent, not guilty, and a decent man.” The court is scheduled to hear the case next on March 17.
In Caracas, Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has assumed the presidency to fill the leadership vacuum, acting under the directions of the country’s top court.