(Commonwealth_India) India has said that several neighbouring countries – Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives – have reached out seeking petroleum products as global fuel supplies come under pressure due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia. The tensions, linked to the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran, have begun to disrupt oil markets and shipping routes, prompting countries in the region to look to India for support in securing their fuel needs.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has long been an important supplier of petroleum products to countries in its vicinity and continues to play a key role in supporting their energy requirements. Among the countries that have approached India, Bangladesh is currently facing a particularly serious shortage of petrol and diesel, which has led it to request additional supplies from New Delhi.
India has previously delivered diesel to Bangladesh through numerous channels, including waterways, railway routes and the cross-border India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline. The state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, responsible for importing and allocating fuel across Bangladesh, provides these supplies.
Jaiswal explained that the diesel exports are part of a long-standing energy partnership between the two countries. India has been supplying fuel to Bangladesh for several years, and those deliveries have continued even as global energy markets experience uncertainty. At the same time, he stressed that any additional supplies would depend on India’s own fuel availability and refining capacity.
He said that before committing to more exports, India will carefully consider its domestic needs. “India’s own needs will also be taken into account,” he said, adding that similar requests for petroleum products have also come from Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Government sources had earlier clarified that the current diesel supply to Bangladesh through the cross-border pipeline is part of regular commercial trade rather than an emergency arrangement. The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline delivers diesel to Bangladesh from Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited, a major refinery in northeastern India.
The pipeline is an important symbol of growing energy cooperation between the two neighbours. It was jointly inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s former prime minister Sheikh Hasina as part of efforts to deepen economic ties and improve cross-border infrastructure.
Officials say the project marked a major step forward in regional energy connectivity. It is the first cross-border energy pipeline between the two countries and has the capacity to transport up to one million metric tonnes of high-speed diesel each year to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has already begun receiving fresh supplies. The chairman of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, Muhammad Rezanur Rahman, confirmed that around 5,000 tonnes of diesel were imported from India on Wednesday. The shipment is expected to enter Bangladesh through the Parbatipur border, helping ease some of the immediate pressure on the country’s fuel supply.
Meanwhile, the developments in West Asia remain a key concern for India, particularly because the region plays a crucial role in global energy supplies and shipping routes. Jaiswal said that India’s external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, has spoken three times recently with Iran’s foreign minister to discuss the evolving situation.
One of the main issues raised during those discussions was the safety of shipping routes, which are vital for transporting oil and other goods across the region, as well as India’s broader energy security concerns.
However, Jaiswal declined to provide further details about those conversations, saying it would be premature to comment more at this stage. With global oil markets facing uncertainty due to the West Asia conflict, India appears to be trying to strike a careful balance, protecting its energy security while also helping neighbouring countries that rely on it for fuel supplies. The requests from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives highlight India’s growing importance as a regional energy supplier and the value of cooperation among neighboring countries during periods of global instability.
