India and Venezuela have agreed to strengthen ties in key areas, including trade, health and pharmaceuticals, digital technology, agriculture, development partnership, culture, and people-to-people exchanges, at the fifth Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in New Delhi on Wednesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
“They also reaffirmed their commitment towards enhancing collaboration in multilateral forums of mutual interest,” the Indian foreign ministry said.
The statement noted that both sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments and agreed to coordinate closely in multilateral fora and advance the India–Venezuela partnership.
The meeting was co-chaired by MEA's Secretary (East) P. Kumaran and Tatiana Josefina Pugh Moreno, Venezuela's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs.
On Monday, the US designated Cartel de los Soles, which it says is headed by Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO). The US has also stationed Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group, led by its largest aircraft carrier in the Caribbean Sea, with security analysts fearing that this could be a precursor to a full-scale invasion.
The US has also increased the bounty for Maduro to $50 million. Around 15,000 American personnel are reported to be part of the US naval deployment in the region, one of the largest mobilisations in recent years. In recent weeks, the US forces have bombed boats travelling out of Venezuela on suspicion that they were trafficking drugs.
However, there is still room for de-escalation as the US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday that he might speak to Maduro.