India’s top diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, on Tuesday noted the nation’s commitment to ensuring energy security for its populace, asserting the need for a ‘clear-eyed’ perception of the global energy market and advocating against ‘double standards’ on energy-related issues, reports PTI.
His remarks come days after the European Union (EU) unveiled its 18th package of punitive measures targeting Russia’s energy sector, which included restrictions on the Vadinar refinery in Gujarat, a facility with significant Russian stake.
Speaking at a media briefing concerning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s four-day visit to the UK and the Maldives, Misri was pressed on whether energy security concerns, in light of fresh Western sanctions on Russian energy, would feature in the Prime Minister’s discussions with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer.
“We have been very clear that insofar as energy security is concerned, it is the highest priority of the government of India to provide energy security for the people of India,” said Misri.
India has substantially increased its energy imports from Russia in recent years, a trend that has continued despite escalating Western sanctions against Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Addressing this, Misri said, “On energy-related issues itself, as we have said previously, it is important not to have double standards and to have a clear-eyed perception of what the global situation is insofar as the broader energy market is concerned.”
The EU’s latest sanctions package aims to curb Russia’s oil and energy revenues, featuring measures such as an import ban on refined petroleum products made from Russian crude in any third country.
The sanctions also include a reduction of the oil price cap from $60 to approximately $48 a barrel and the designation of the Vadinar Refinery, in which Russian energy firm Rosneft holds a major stake. India had already voiced its objection to ‘double standards’ in energy trade shortly after the EU’s announcement.
Misri reiterated India’s position on abandoning double standards on energy-related issues, and called for a “clear-eyed perception” of the global energy market, including “where the providers of energy goods are located and where they’re going to come from, and who needs energy at what point in time”.
