In a significant diplomatic development, Colombia has withdrawn its earlier statement expressing condolences over the deaths of terrorists in Pakistan following India’s counterterrorism strike, ‘Operation Sindoor’.
This comes after a high-level Indian Parliamentary delegation, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, engaged with senior Colombian officials and lawmakers in Bogotá.
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio told the delegation that Colombia had withdrawn the statement, recognising that it was issued without a full understanding of the circumstances.
“They fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value,” Tharoor said after the meeting on Friday.
Began today with an excellent meeting with the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, and her senior colleagues dealing with the Asia-Pacific. I expressed India’s view of recent events and voiced disappointment at Colombia’s statement on 8 May… pic.twitter.com/OdRoUIguJl
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) May 30, 2025
Tharoor had earlier voiced India’s disappointment at Colombia’s initial reaction, which seemed to equate the terrorists eliminated during ‘Operation Sindoor’ with their innocent victims in the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
The clarification from Colombia marks a significant course correction and diplomatic win for India.
Building Mutual Understanding
Villavicencio affirmed Colombia’s commitment to continued dialogue.
“We are very confident that with the explanations that we received today and the detailed information we now have about what happened in Kashmir, we can now continue the dialogue,” she said.
India’s delegation has been instrumental in enhancing Colombia’s understanding of the impact of terrorism, particularly in a country that has itself suffered from insurgency.
Colombia will take a seat on the UN Security Council, running unopposed for the Latin American seat in next week’s election, which makes its stance on global security issues even more important.
The Indian delegation includes MPs from across the political spectrum, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP’s Tejasvi Surya, Sarfaraz Ahmad (JMM), Shambhavi (LJP-RV), Milind Deora (Shiv Sena), Shashank Mani Tripathi, GM Harish Balayogi (TDP), and Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP).
On Thursday, Tharoor had expressed India’s concern during a media interaction in Bogotá, stating,
“We were a little disappointed in the Colombian government’s reaction, which appeared to express heartfelt condolences for the terrorists rather than the victims.”
Responding swiftly, Colombia addressed the matter positively.
Former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria, head of the nation’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.”
#WATCH | Colombia officially withdraws its earlier statement that it issued expressing condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes; earlier, Shashi Tharoor, who is leading the all-party delegation, raised concern and said – we (India) were a little… pic.twitter.com/iVFmLUl1yP
— ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2025
The delegation held talks with Colombian MPs, including Alejandro Toro and Jaime Raul, from the Congress’s foreign affairs panel.
They also visited the Colombian Council on International Relations (CORI) for a wide-ranging dialogue and interacted with students at Tadeo University, where they laid a floral tribute at the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
The visit strengthens India’s diplomatic outreach in Latin America, especially as the delegation prepares for further meetings in Brazil and the United States to build support for UN Security Council reform and global counterterrorism cooperation.
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