New Delhi: Good news has come for India after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between America and Iran in West Asia. 11 ships coming to India through the Strait of Hormuz have successfully passed. The Foreign Ministry confirmed this on Tuesday.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that since the signing of the MoU on June 17, these ships have crossed this important sea route and headed towards India. Still 10 Indian flagged ships are operating at different places in the Persian Gulf. Recently two more ships have also reached there.
Ships loaded with oil, gas and fertilizer
Jaiswal said that among these 11 ships, there are three Indian flagged crude oil tankers, each loaded with more than 2.85 lakh metric tonnes of crude oil. Also included are one foreign-flagged LPG carrier, one foreign-flagged crude oil tanker and six foreign-flagged bulk cargo ships loaded with fertilizer. He expressed hope that the remaining Indian ships would also soon cross the Strait of Hormuz and reach Indian ports on time.
India’s eye on energy security
When asked about the lifting of US sanctions on Iranian petroleum products and its impact on India’s energy supply, Jaiswal said that India is closely monitoring every activity in West Asia.
He said that India’s energy policy is completely based on national interests. The government’s priority is to ensure that 1.4 billion people get affordable and adequate energy, that too from diverse sources. This policy has been in place before and will continue in future also.
Relations with Palestine and UAE also discussed
When asked about India’s relations with Palestine in the press briefing, Jaiswal said that the relations between the two countries are decades old and strong. India has initiated several development projects in Palestine and has also sent humanitarian aid. This cooperation will continue in future also.
On defense partnership with UAE, he said that the strategic relationship between India and UAE is multidimensional. Security cooperation, joint exercises and technical exchanges have gained momentum in the last few years.
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