The United States strike on Venezuela and the subsequent capture of President Nicolas Maduro has sparked a debate in diplomatic circles.
Former Indian envoys to Venezuela R Viswanathan and Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha said the action was anticipated and even 'unsurprising' in nature, claiming that the US has always worked against Maduro's regime.
Speaking to ANI, Former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, R Viswanathan, said that the attack was not a surprise and that President Trump had threatened Maduro from the first time he came to power.
He claimed that there was also a failed attempt earlier to overthrow Maduro. But, this time, the envoy contended that 'the President sent warships, and authorised the CIA'.
He said," It was not a surprise... this is not the first time he had threatened. When he was President for the first time, at that time also he had threatened Venezuela. He tried to change the regime through operations. There was even a mercenary attack aimed at overthrowing Maduro; it failed. But, this time he has sent the warships, and he has authorised the CIA; no one was expecting this, even Maduro, no surprise."
When asked whether the ongoing situation in Venezuela would affect India, he said it would not, as India's trade with Venezuela is minimal, with only some investment by ONGC in its oil fields.
He just warned to be apprehensive about the coming changes in Latin America, as the attack and capture will make the US even bolder.
He said, "No, it will not affect India. We, at one time in 2013-14, were importing over 10 billion barrels of oil from Venezuela. At that time, it was accounting for 7-8 per cent of our imported oil. But now, because of the sanctions, it has stopped. We are not dependent on Venezuela for oil. Our trade is very little, and we have some investment by ONGC in their oil fields... So, this is not going to affect India in any big way. Just that if Americans get away with it, they will become bolder, and they will do more things in Latin America, and the world can do nothing about it."
Meanwhile, Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha, former Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, speaking to ANI, said, "It's not very surprising that this action has taken place because it was being anticipated in terms of the US wanting regime change in Venezuela, and we were aware of the military buildup in the Caribbean Sea, surrounding Venezuela."
He claimed that it was one of the largest buildups by the US.
He said that it's time to wait and see what is upcoming in Venezuelan politics in the coming days.
"What happened during the night and early morning was a very precise, coordinated attack... This is obviously a very calculated move to extract President Maduro. How was that achieved we will get to know only as time goes by," he said.
He added, "But what is important is to see how the Venezuelan military reacts, because don't forget that the Venezuelan military backed Maduro's repressive regime and as long the military was with him, he was safe. He could even take elections away from the genuine winner Edmundo Gonzalez, in 2024. I think once Maduro is removed from the scene, one will have to see how politics plays out in Venezuela... Though, I don't see any possibility of the Venezuelan military of getting him back. But we will have to see how the politics and the internal situation in Venezuela turns out."
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