The change in tone from Colombia is seen as diplomatically significant, especially given its forthcoming role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
In a diplomatic correction welcomed by India, Colombia has withdrawn a contentious statement that had expressed condolences for individuals killed in Pakistan during India’s counter-terror operation, codenamed Operation Sindoor. The move followed a series of high-level meetings between an Indian parliamentary delegation and senior Colombian officials in Bogotá.
The withdrawal was announced by Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, Colombia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, during a meeting with the Indian delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. Villavicencio stated that her country had reconsidered its earlier position following a clearer understanding of the context and facts surrounding the Indian military action.
“The Vice Minister very graciously mentioned they have withdrawn the statement that we had expressed concern about, and that they fully understand our position on the matter, which is something we really value,” Tharoor told Indian media after the meeting.
India had voiced disappointment over Colombia’s original statement, which had seemingly drawn a false equivalency between the victims of the Pahalgam massacre — carried out by Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front — and the terrorists targeted by Operation Sindoor. Tharoor had publicly flagged the issue in earlier comments, stating India was “a little disappointed” in Colombia’s expression of sympathy that appeared to overlook the victims of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
Villavicencio, standing alongside Tharoor, acknowledged the importance of the clarification and committed to constructive dialogue. “We are very confident that with the explanations that we received today and with the detailed information that we now have regarding the real situation on what happened in Kashmir, we can now follow and continue the dialogue,” she said.
The change in tone from Colombia is seen as diplomatically significant, especially given its forthcoming role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). Colombia is running unopposed for the Latin American seat and is expected to take office early next year. Its position on counter-terrorism will therefore carry greater weight in upcoming global deliberations.
Setting the stage for the retraction, former Colombian President César Gaviria — a senior leader of the country’s largest political party — voiced unambiguous support for India on Thursday. “Colombia has solidarity with India. We check any kind of terrorism, and be certain that under any circumstances, we will be on your side,” he said during a separate engagement with the Indian delegation.
The Indian MPs have been on a diplomatic tour across Latin America to build awareness about India’s security challenges and rally support for counter-terrorism cooperation. At the Friday meeting, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said on X (formerly Twitter) that the delegation had “briefed [Villavicencio] on the sequence of events, from the Pahalgam terror attack to India’s calibrated response under Operation Sindoor.”
India has argued that Operation Sindoor was a justified and proportionate response to the Pahalgam massacre, in which Indian security personnel and civilians were killed. The attack was traced to The Resistance Front, an affiliate of Lashkar-e-Taiba operating out of Pakistan.
The Indian delegation’s visit to Colombia included engagements with lawmakers from the Second Commission of the Colombian Chamber of Representatives, the parliamentary panel responsible for foreign relations. Among those they met were Alejandro Toro and Jaime Raul. Symbolic gifts were also exchanged — a wool poncho and a traditional Colombian hat were presented to Tharoor, who joked they would come in handy during Delhi’s winter.
The diplomatic mission also visited the Consejo Colombiano de Relaciones Internacionales (CORI), Colombia’s leading foreign affairs think tank, for an “in-depth and wide-ranging interaction,” according to a statement by the Indian Embassy in Bogotá. The team also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi with a floral offering at his statue at Tadeo University.
Tharoor, who heads the cross-party delegation, is joined by MPs from a wide spectrum of Indian political parties, including Tejasvi Surya and Shashank Mani Tripathi of the BJP, Milind Murli Deora of the Shiv Sena, Shambhavi from Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Sarfaraz Ahmad of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, GM Harish Balayogi of the Telugu Desam Party, and Bhubaneswar Kalita of the BJP.
The group has already visited Guyana and Panama — both current UNSC members — and will head next to Brazil, India’s strategic partner in the BRICS alliance and a key advocate for Security Council reform. Their final stop will be Washington, where the delegation will engage with U.S. lawmakers and policy think tanks.
The diplomatic effort comes at a time when India is intensifying its outreach to global South countries and aligning its security narrative with that of other nations that have also been affected by terrorism.
