After Shashi Tharoor expressed dismay over Colombia's remark offering condolences to those who lost their lives in Pakistan during India's retaliation in May, Colombia is now scheduled to issue a fresh statement in strong support of India's position on terrorism.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, leading an all-party delegation to Colombia, said that the Colombian side has retracted its earlier statement, which had sparked disappointment in New Delhi, and will instead release a statement strongly supporting India's position.
Earlier, Colombia had expressed disappointment on the deaths in Pakistan. This development comes a day after Tharoor expressed concerns over Colombia's stance.
What did Tharoor say?
While addressing the media, Tharoor said, "They have withdrawn their statement that disappointed us earlier and will issue a statement of strong support for our position."
Former Indian Ambassador to the US and BJP leader Taranjit Singh Sandhu said the reversal of Colombia's stance was due to the delegation's in-depth explanation, which effectively addressed the concerns.
"This morning we had a detailed interaction with the acting Foreign Minister and our leader, and the entire team made specific points to them, explaining to them the timeline, which, perhaps, to an extent, they might have missed out. The importance of Colombia, apart from other reasons, is also that it will be a member of the Security Council soon," Sandhu told ANI.
In response to Colombia's statement, Tharoor on Friday stressed that there can be no equivalence between those who sponsor terrorism and those who defend themselves.
Colombia Responds
On Friday, Colombia's Vice Foreign Minister, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, expressed confidence that the detailed explanation and information provided about the situation in Kashmir would facilitate further dialogue.
He said, "We are very confident that with the explanation that we received today and the detailed information that we now have regarding the real situation, the conflict, and what happened in Kashmir, we can also continue the dialogue."
The Delegation
On Thursday, a delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor arrived in Colombia, following visits to Panama and Guyana. During their stay in Bogota, the delegation will engage with key stakeholders, including members of Congress, ministers, think tanks, and media representatives.
The delegation comprises:
Sarfraz Ahmad (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha)
G M Harish Balayogi (Telugu Desam Party)
Shashank Mani Tripathi (BJP)
Bhubaneswar Kalita (BJP)
Milind Deora (Shiv Sena)
Tejasvi Surya (BJP)
Taranjit Singh Sandhu (former Indian Ambassador to the US)
The group is one of the seven multilateral delegations tasked by India to visit 33 global capitals to reach out to the international community following the Pahalgam terror attack.
