India considering Bangladesh's request for additional diesel: Jaiswal

The request for additional diesel supply made by Bangladesh is currently under consideration, said Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

He said this in response to a question at the weekly briefing of the Ministry of External Affairs held in New Delhi on Thursday (March 12).

Randhir Jaiswal said that apart from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives have also made similar requests. A decision in this regard will be taken considering India's domestic demand and refinery capacity.

He said that India exports refined petroleum products to neighboring countries on a large scale. Diesel has been being supplied to Bangladesh from India's Numaligarh refinery for a long time.

He said that this fuel supply has been going on in Bangladesh since 2007 through road, rail and pipeline. In 2017, a diesel supply agreement was also signed between India's Numaligarh Refinery Limited and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, under which supplies are currently ongoing.

The recent US and Israeli attacks on Iran and counter-attacks have disrupted electricity and gas production in Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Qatar. In addition, oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important routes for world trade, has also been stopped.

According to analysts, if this conflict lasts longer, the global energy crisis may worsen. The Bangladesh government has requested India to supply additional diesel to deal with the potential crisis.

A formal letter in this regard was sent by Dhaka last Wednesday.