The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday that India is considering requests from Bangladesh, the Maldives and Sri Lanka to supply it with fuel amid the energy crisis caused by the conflict in West Asia.
Cooperation in the field of energy is a fundamental pillar of India’s development cooperation with neighboring countries. India has helped finance the construction of cross-border pipelines to Nepal and Bangladesh, and has supported the development of the hydropower sector in Bhutan.
As global oil and gas prices rise and crude oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz dwindle due to the Iran-US conflict, neighboring countries such as Bangladesh have turned to India for additional fuel supplies.
“We have received a request from the Bangladesh government to supply diesel fuel, which is under consideration,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press conference.
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“We have received such requests from several other countries, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and they are being examined keeping in mind our energy requirements and availability,” he said.
Jaiswal pointed out that India is a major exporter of refined petroleum products, especially to the country’s neighboring countries. As part of a “people-centred and development-oriented approach” in handling relations with Bangladesh, India has been supplying diesel from the Numaligarh refinery in Assam since 2007 via waterways, railways and the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline.
“A sale and purchase agreement was signed in October 2017 between Numaligarh Refinery and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation for the supply of high-speed diesel on mutually agreed terms,” Jaiswal said.
Jaiswal said diesel exports to Bangladesh have continued since 2017, and factors such as India’s refining capacity, the country’s requirements and diesel availability will be taken into account when deciding on Dhaka’s request for additional diesel supplies.
