On Dhaka's request for enhanced fuel assistance, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday stated that whilst the existing operational arrangement for supplying diesel to Bangladesh remains ongoing, any decision regarding supplementary consignments will be evaluated against India's domestic consumption needs, refining capability, and national fuel availability.
"As you know, we have an ongoing arrangement with Bangladesh for supply of diesel. This continues insofar as the additional request that you mentioned is concerned. This will be examined keeping in mind our own requirement, our refining capacity, as well as the availability of diesel here in our country," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday.
The official response follows reports indicating that Bangladesh has formally sought an increase in cross-border diesel shipments via the dedicated pipeline to help mitigate severe domestic electricity and gas shortages.
Last week, Bangladesh's Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmud said that Dhaka had requested additional diesel supplies during a meeting with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi. He said that energy cooperation was among the key issues discussed during the meeting. "We import diesel from India through the pipeline, and we have requested them to supply more," Bangladeshi media quoted Mahmud as saying.
On August 6, Indian High Commissioner Trivedi called on Mahmud, and both sides exchanged views on further strengthening India-Bangladesh cooperation in the power and energy sectors. Bangladesh's Minister of State for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Anindya Islam Amit, was also present during the meeting.
"The discussion focused on the importance of cross-border power and energy connectivity as a key pillar of India-Bangladesh economic partnership. Both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to advancing cooperation based on mutual interest and mutual benefit, with a view to enhancing energy security, promoting sustainable development, and supporting the prosperity of the people of both countries," the Indian High Commission in Dhaka posted on X.
Earlier in April, a supplementary shipment of 5,000 tonnes of diesel started moving into Bangladesh from India via the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, strengthening Dhaka's energy resilience against the backdrop of West Asian maritime instability disrupting fuel supplies, reports said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
