From 'bit disappointed' to 'very pleased': How Tharoor reacted to Colombia's U-turn on Pak statement
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is leading one of the all-party delegations to the Americas, on Saturday reacted to the Colombian government's decision to issue a new statement expressing solidarity with India after the Pahalgam terror attack, saying that he was now pleased with the move.
Shashi Tharoor said that earlier Colombia did not seem to understand India's stance, but after they held talks with the country's foreign ministry, Colombia rolled back their earlier statement.
"I'm very pleased to say that following our discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vice Minister announced that this statement has been withdrawn and that they will certainly express publicly their understanding and sympathy for our situation," he said in conversation with think tank 'The Colombian Council On International Relations' (Cori) and select political analysts and diplomats at the Gun Club.
"That mission is to reach out to people like you and communicate our point of view and our concerns about recent events in our country, which you have already alluded to- the terrorist attack on our country and our decisive response- which perhaps was not initially what they understood, as you alluded to the statement that was issued. We were very disappointed by that statement," Shashi Tharoor added.
Also Read | Congress, BJP spar over surgical strikes; Shashi Tharoor caught in the crossfire
Earlier, Shashi Tharoor had expressed disappointment over Colombia's offering condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan following India's military actions.
Tharoor had underlined that India's response was a matter of self-defence and not aggression.
Also Read | Shashi Tharoor slams Congress amid 'surgical strikes' remark row
'We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism."
Tharoor is leading the all-party delegation throughout the Americas as part of India's diplomatic initiative to assert its zero-tolerance policy against terrorism. Following visits to Panama and Guyana, the team arrived in Colombia on Thursday. Their next destinations are Brazil and the United States.
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