NEW DELHI, May 24 (ANI) — External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday said India will continue to diversify its energy sourcing and maintain multiple dependable suppliers as part of its responsibility toward its citizens, emphasizing that energy security remains a top national priority amid global uncertainties.
Addressing a joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New Delhi, Jaishankar stressed that energy security requires de-risking through diversified supply channels, with the United States emerging as a “very significant and reliable source” for India.
He noted that India has steadily increased its energy imports from the United States over the years, with a notable rise in recent times.
“There’s actually been a very significant uptick in our energy imports from the United States. It’s not new. It started many years ago, but I think it has really picked up in the last year,” Jaishankar said.
“And where India is concerned, this is an era of de-risking, and probably energy more than anything else requires de-risking. So a big country, if you are to do de-risking, looks at multiple sourcing. And for us, the United States has emerged as a very significant and reliable source of energy, as indeed have some other countries,” he added.
Addressing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, Jaishankar said India’s strategy is to diversify energy sources to safeguard national energy security.
“The way we will deal with the current situation in Hormuz and, frankly, going forward as well, is to diversify our energy sources because that is at the heart of our energy security,” he said.
The external affairs minister emphasized that India requires “multiple sources, large sources, dependable sources, and cheap sources” to meet its growing energy demands while avoiding disruptions in global energy markets.
“For our energy security, it’s important we have multiple sources, large sources, dependable sources, and cheap sources. And the United States fits the bill in many respects. So do some other countries,” Jaishankar said.
“So we will continue to diversify and maintain multiple sources of supply at the most reasonable cost because, at the end of the day, we have an obligation to our people to provide them with energy at affordable and accessible rates,” he added.
Jaishankar also cautioned against disruptions in global energy markets.
“What we don’t want to see is energy markets distorted. We don’t want to see energy markets constricted because it has a cost implication,” he said.
The remarks came during Rubio’s four-day visit to India, during which he is also expected to participate in the Quad Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
India is preparing to host the high-level Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting on May 26, bringing together India, the United States, Australia, and Japan to discuss the evolving security landscape in the Indo-Pacific and rising tensions across West Asia.
The meeting will be chaired by Jaishankar. (ANI)
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