Daijiworld Media Network - Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, Mar 18: India’s oil minister, Dharmendra Pradhan on Wednesday March 17 said that India and the UAE discussed ways to strengthen energy cooperation, despite the South Asian nation asking its refiners to reduce their reliance on Middle Eastern oil.
“We discussed about new areas of cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector and beyond, and agreed to remain committed despite the challenges presented by the Covid pandemic,” Pradhan said on Twitter after a virtual meeting with Sultan Al Jaber, the chief executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (Adnoc).
UAE is a key oil supplier to India and a partner in an Indian joint venture that plans to build a 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) refinery and petrochemical complex on the country’s west coast.
The UAE was the fifth biggest oil supplier to India last month. India is also the world’s third-biggest oil importer and consumer.
The oil minister also discussed with Jaber ways of strengthening and providing momentum to the bilateral strategic energy partnership between the countries.
India imports more than 80 percent of its oil needs, a significant amount of which comes from the Middle East.