Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, on Friday said that Bogota was withdrawing an earlier statement expressing condolences for those killed in Pakistan during India’s counter-terror operation, ‘Operation Sindoor’.
The statement came after a meeting with an Indian parliamentary delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who said Colombia had “fully understood India’s position” on the matter.
“The Vice Minister very graciously mentioned that they have withdrawn the statement we had expressed concern about, and that they fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value,” Tharoor told reporters after the meeting.
Earlier, India had expressed disappointment over the Colombian statement, which appeared to equate terrorists killed in the Indian strike with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by The Resistance Front — an affiliate of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Standing alongside Tharoor, Villavicencio said: “We are very confident that with the explanations we received today, and the detailed information we now have regarding the real situation in Kashmir, we can continue the dialogue.”
Colombia’s course correction comes as it prepares to join the UN Security Council next year, where it is running unopposed for the Latin American seat.
Speaking to local media on Thursday, Tharoor said India had been “a little disappointed” that Colombia had issued condolences for those killed in Pakistan “rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism” in Jammu and Kashmir.
Colombia acted promptly on India’s concerns. Former President Cesar Augusto Gaviria Trujillo, leader of the country’s largest political party, said, “Colombia has solidarity with India. We check any kind of terrorism, and under any circumstances, we will be on your side.”
Following the meeting with Villavicencio, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, in a post on X, said that the Indian delegation had briefed her “on the sequence of events, from the Pahalgam terror attack to India’s calibrated response under Operation Sindoor.”
The MPs also met members of Colombia’s Congress, including Alejandro Toro, president of the Second Commission, which handles international relations, and Jaime Raul.
During their visit, Colombian leaders gifted Tharoor a wool poncho and traditional hat. The delegation also interacted with the Consejo Colombiano de Relaciones Internacionales (CORI), a leading foreign affairs think tank, and paid tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi statue at Tadeo University.
Tharoor is leading a cross-party Indian delegation that includes BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita, and Shashank Mani Tripathi; GM Harish Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party; Milind Murli Deora of the Shiv Sena; Sarfaraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha; and Shambhavi of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
The delegation has already visited Guyana and Panama — both non-permanent members of the Security Council — and will next travel to Brazil and then Washington, DC.
IANS