New Delhi [India], June 10 (ANI): Ambassador of Uruguay to India Alberto Antonio Guani Amarilla praised India's growing use of renewable energy and said expanding solar, wind, and biomass power will help countries achieve energy independence and stronger development.

He also said Venezuela has been suspended from the Mercosur grouping due to concerns over democratic processes, while expressing hope that it will return to democracy soon.

Speaking to ANI on Tuesday, Amarilla said, 'We have had, in the case of Uruguay with the Mercosur countries, a very up-and-down relationship with Venezuela due to the application of the Ushuaia Protocol. We have suspended Venezuela from Mercosur, and we are hoping that it returns to a democratic framework to organise its government. We are optimistic that things will progress in that direction.'

He said that Uruguay, a South American country, has been continuously incorporating renewable energy while transitioning away from fossil fuels. Amarilla said that his country was making clean energy accessible to the public.

'Regarding environmental policies, we have positioned ourselves on the side of continuously incorporating more renewable energy, transitioning away from fossil fuels, and making clean energy more accessible to the public,' he said.

The Uruguay envoy further stated that scaling up wind, solar and biomass power would transform energy dynamics, removing dependency on a single fuel source. He said that India was 'doing an exceptional job' in its attempt to achieve 'true energy independence' by integrating renewable energy.

'Once a nation manages to achieve true energy independence, it becomes much more beneficial for the country's development. I understand that India is doing an exceptional job in this regard because you are heavily integrating renewable energy. By scaling up wind, solar and biomass power, the energy dynamic will transform, removing the vulnerability of depending entirely on a single source of fuel,' Amarilla said. (ANI)