India-OPEC energy talks: Puri, Haitham Al Ghais discuss oil stability, energy security

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais co-chaired the meeting.

The two sides reviewed short-, medium- and long-term energy outlooks and highlighted India's growing importance to global economic expansion and energy demand.

In his remarks, Puri said India and OPEC share a "naturally complementary and mutually beneficial relationship" and thanked Al Ghais for his contribution towards strengthening the partnership.

He said India values its longstanding engagement with OPEC and its member countries, which has contributed to greater mutual understanding and cooperation on key energy issues.

"As one of the world's fastest-growing major economies, India will remain an important driver of global energy demand in the decades ahead. A sustained dialogue between producers and consumers is essential to support investment, strengthen energy resilience and ensure reliable energy supplies for global growth and development," Puri said.

Appreciating OPEC's efforts to promote stability and transparency in global energy markets amid geopolitical uncertainties and market volatility, Puri called for closer cooperation between OPEC and India to advance a balanced, stable and predictable global energy market.

Al Ghais said dialogue with India was a priority for OPEC, citing the country's growing importance in the global energy landscape.

"Dialogue with India is a priority for OPEC because we recognize India's importance within the current global energy landscape and the fact that this importance will only increase in the decades ahead," he said.

He noted that the OPEC-India Energy Dialogue had completed 11 years since it was launched in New Delhi in 2015.

The OPEC Secretary General commended India's "balanced, realistic and pragmatic approach" to addressing energy challenges, saying that many of India's energy priorities were also priorities for OPEC.

Al Ghais also praised the Indian government's commitment to international cooperation and dialogue, stressing the importance of diplomacy in addressing global challenges.

"What is particularly heartening about our dialogue is the fact that the Indian Government has consistently advocated diplomacy and dialogue as the means of resolving the great challenges of our age," he said.

Al Ghais thanked the participants for their contributions and expressed the OPEC Secretariat's gratitude to Puri for the hospitality extended to the OPEC delegation.

The meeting reviewed progress achieved under the dialogue framework, including at the technical level, and underscored the importance of deepening energy cooperation between OPEC and India.

The two sides agreed to hold the eighth High-Level Meeting of the OPEC-India Energy Dialogue in Vienna, Austria, at a mutually convenient date.