FM Dar offers condolences to Venezuela, pledges support after deadly earthquakes

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday offered condolences to Venezuela over the recent devastating earthquakes, reaffirming Islamabad’s “unwavering solidarity” with the Venezuelan government and its people in a telephone conversation with Venezuela’s new Foreign Minister Felix Plasencia.

On June 24, Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude, which struck just 39 seconds apart in the western state of Yaracuy. The disaster has so far left at least 5,069 dead and 16,740 injured, according to National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez.

According to an article published on X by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (FO), Dar congratulated Plasencia on his appointment before expressing Pakistan’s “sincere condolences” for the earthquakes that hit Venezuela.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s “unwavering solidarity with the government and people of Venezuela during this difficult time” and expressed confidence in the country’s “resilience and recovery.”

Plasencia thanked Dar for Pakistan’s message of sympathy and solidarity and expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support and humanitarian solidarity with victims of natural disasters, emphasizing “the importance of mutual support in times of need.”

Read: Venezuela earthquake toll rises to 5,069

The Venezuelan foreign minister also acknowledged Pakistan’s “constructive role in promoting dialogue and de-escalation” in the regional situation involving the United States and Iran and praised Islamabad’s commitment to “peace and diplomacy.”

The two ministers exchanged views on the “long-standing friendly relations” between Pakistan and Venezuela and reaffirmed their “shared commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations”. They also discussed opportunities to expand cooperation in “trade, investment, business, agriculture, IT and other areas of mutual interest.”

Both sides highlighted the “considerable potential to strengthen economic collaboration” and foster “stronger people-to-people contacts for the mutual benefit of both countries.”

Dar stressed the importance of “sustained high-level engagement” to “revitalize bilateral relations and further deepen cooperation.” The two ministers also appreciated the “close and continuous coordination” between Pakistan and Venezuela at multilateral forums on “issues of common interest”.

They agreed to “stay in close contact” and “meet as soon as possible” to advance the bilateral agenda.

The strongest quake, a magnitude 7.5, struck about 14 miles (23 kilometers) southeast of Yumare, while the 7.2 magnitude quake hit about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of San Felipe, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The two earthquakes caused widespread damage, followed by 890 aftershocks that further hampered rescue and recovery efforts.

More than 128,000 families have received government assistance, but thousands remain displaced. Authorities have set up 106 temporary camps housing more than 21,000 people, while nearly 18,000 people remain without permanent housing.

The earthquakes also caused significant damage to infrastructure. Rodriguez said 856 buildings were damaged, 190 of which collapsed, leaving entire communities struggling to rebuild.

President Nicolás Maduro said Venezuela needed access to financial resources frozen abroad to support reconstruction, as well as funding for employment and education programs. Venezuela has faced numerous sanctions from the United States, European Union and other countries over the past two decades, measures that Caracas says have complicated its recovery efforts.

After the earthquakes, the United States allowed transactions related to earthquake relief for four months that would have been prohibited by sanctions.