‘Deep concern’: India breaks silence on US action on Venezuela, Maduro capture

INdia on dominicus verbalised “ late occupy” o'er the United States’ attacks on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by American forces, and called on all parties to address issues peacefully through dialogue to ensure stability in the region.In its first formal reaction to the military assault, which was widely condemned by Latin American countries, the external affairs ministry reiterated India’s concern for the safety of the people of Venezuela. Follow Venezuela-US tensions live updatesHours after US forces bombed Venezuela and captured Maduro and his wife, US President Donald Trump told a news conference that Washington would run the South American country until a political transition could take place.Also Read | CIA source in Venezuela govt, drones: How US monitored Maduro for Trump's ‘never-seen-before’ operationThe external affairs ministry, in a statement, described the recent developments in Venezuela as a “matter of deep concern” and said India was closely monitoring the evolving situation. “India reaffirms its support to the well-being and safety of the people of Venezuela. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region,” the statement said.The Indian embassy in Caracas is in contact with members of the Indian community and will continue to provide all possible assistance, the ministry said.India issued an advisory on Saturday urging its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Venezuela. It also advised Indians in Venezuela to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements, and remain in contact with the Indian embassy. There are around 50 non-resident Indians and 30 people of Indian origin in Venezuela.The Trump administration launched attacks on Caracas and seized Maduro and his wife early on Saturday. A plane carrying Maduro landed in New York state on Saturday evening, and he was indicted on drug and weapons charges.Maduro’s capture followed a months-long US pressure campaign against his government, including the seizure of oil tankers off the Venezuelan coast and deadly attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean. The US has carried out more than 20 air strikes in waters near Venezuela since September, with the attacks widely denounced as extrajudicial killings.The Trump administration has accused Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, of having ties to drug cartels. He rejected the claims and said the US was seeking to depose him to take control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Trump’s critics have also said Washington acted with an eye on Venezuela’s massive oil reserves of 303 billion barrels, about a fifth of global reserves.Trump told the news conference on Saturday that the US would run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”. He said “very large US oil companies” would move into Venezuela to “fix the badly broken… oil infrastructure and start making money for the country”.Venezuela declared a national emergency after the US assault, with the government denouncing what it called an “extremely serious military aggression”.The Venezuelan government said it “rejects, repudiates, and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current government of the United States of America against Venezuelan territory and people”.As most Latin American countries denounced the US attacks, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said the bombings and capture of Maduro crossed “an unacceptable line”.“Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” Lula said on social media.China’s foreign ministry said Beijing was “deeply shocked and strongly condemns the use of force by the US against a sovereign country and the use of force against the president of a country”. It added: “China firmly opposes such hegemonic behaviour by the US, which seriously violates international law, violates Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.“We urge the US to abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and stop violating the sovereignty and security of other countries.”Russia condemned an “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela by the US, the Russian foreign ministry said, adding: “In the current situation, it is important to prevent further escalation and to focus on finding a way out of the situation through dialogue.”The Russian foreign ministry also said the capture of Maduro and his wife “constitutes an unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of an independent state”.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the US operation in Venezuela undermined international law. “The military operation that led to the capture of Nicolás Maduro violates the principle of not resorting to force, which underpins international law. France reiterates that no lasting political solution can be imposed from the outside and that only sovereign people themselves can decide their future,” he said on social media.