Rubio sees bigger US role in India's energy

Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the United States wants to play a bigger role in meeting India’s growing energy needs, backing New Delhi’s strategy of diversifying its energy sources while arguing that closer India-US cooperation can strengthen long-term energy security.

In an exclusive interview with IANS at the White House, Rubio said Washington was well-positioned to support India’s expanding energy requirements as both countries deepen their strategic partnership.

“I think obviously India’s been focused for a very long time on diversifying its sources of energy, and so I think that trend will continue and we certainly would love to be a part of that,” Rubio said.

“We think we have some solutions in that regard.”

Rubio linked the issue to US President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East and stabilise global energy markets.

“One of the reasons why the President has given peace a chance in the Middle East is the desire to see more fuel enter the marketplace for our allies,” he said.

At the same time, Rubio stressed that India’s long-term energy security would depend on maintaining a diverse supply base.

“I think the long-term solution really is to diversify their supplies,” he said.

The Secretary of State also pointed to Venezuela as a potential future source of crude for India, saying the United States was working to increase the country’s production capacity.

“I know India’s been talking to not just the United States, but Venezuela. We’re working very closely to increase their production capacity,” Rubio said.

He noted that India’s refining capability made it uniquely placed to process Venezuelan crude.

“India’s one of the few countries in the world with their ability to refine the heavy crude that Venezuela produces. So I think that’s a thing we would look to facilitate as well.”

Rubio said energy was among several areas where Washington and New Delhi shared common strategic interests.

“These are the largest democracies in the world and the oldest democracies in the world,” he said. “I think we have so much aligned and in common that we can build and work on together our interests on economics, on supply chains, on critical minerals, on energy, on security, on freedom of navigation.”

“These are all issues that bind us together. We’re aligned on so many things,” he added.

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing energy consumers and has steadily expanded its crude oil and liquefied natural gas imports to meet rising domestic demand. Diversifying energy supplies has become a central element of New Delhi’s strategy to enhance energy security while reducing dependence on any single source.

Energy cooperation has emerged as an important pillar of the India-US strategic partnership. Alongside growing trade in oil and LNG, the two countries have expanded collaboration in civil nuclear energy, clean energy technologies, critical minerals and resilient supply chains as part of their broader economic and strategic engagement.

IANS

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