Friends with India

VENEZUELAN President Hugo Chavez is likely to visit India in February 2005. Chavez is known to have a soft corner for India and has been keen on a state visit to the country. So far he has only made brief stopovers in Mumbai en route to other countries. He was to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2002. However, the visit did not materialise as Chavez got caught up in the vortex of domestic politics. The coup attempt against him took place in March that year.

Chavez' visit to India assumes significance given his interest in strengthening groupings like the G-15 and revitalising the non-aligned movement (NAM). The Venezuelan government wants India to have a meaningful stake in the country's hydrocarbon sector. When Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), met Chavez in Caracas, the President insisted that he meet with the Venezuelan Oil and Foreign Ministers, Rafael Ramirez and Ali Rodriguez, before he left the country. The 45-minute-long discussions between Chavez and Prakash Karat centred around the Venezuelan leader's proposed visit to India. If the February visit materialises, Chavez will be visiting Kolkata also.

The Indian Ambassador to Venezuela, Deepak Bhojwani, has succeeded in putting New Delhi firmly on the radar screen in Caracas. Talks are being held between the Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) and the Venezuelan government to explore the possibility of manufacturing a satellite in India for Venezuela. Talks are at an advanced stage for the manufacture of a "simputer" by the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for Venezuela. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in 2002 to process, evaluate and develop the Latin American country's diamond resources. The Venezuelan State Oil Company, PDVSA, and ONGC-Videsh signed an MoU in 2001 whereby the Indian public sector oil company was assured four oil wells for development and two for exploration. The Indian and Venezuelan Foreign Ministers met in September 2004 for further discussions on the subject. ONGC officials in New Delhi told this correspondent that they were bullish about their participation in oil projects in Venezuela.

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is well represented in Venezuela with 10 companies having their offices in Caracas. With the Venezuelan government spending heavily on the health sector, there is a growing demand for quality medicines at affordable prices. Brazil has already become a big market for Indian pharmaceutical products.

Venezuela has shown that it is keen to diversify its arms purchases. The big arms deal that it recently signed with Russia is an example. Chavez' visit to India could be the harbinger of a more meaningful relationship between the two countries.