‘Requests under review’: Maldives, Sri Lanka and many other countries seeking energy supplies from India, MEA says

NEW DELHI: Some neighboring countries have sought India’s oil supply assistance as conflicts in the Middle East continue and regional pressure mounts, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.“In Bangladesh, we have continued to meet their energy needs since 2007… We have also recently supplied 38,000 metric tonnes of petroleum products to Sri Lanka as per their request. We are engaging with Nepal and Bhutan and this engagement continues,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.“The Maldives government also looks to us for short-term and long-term supply of petroleum products. We are reviewing these requests, taking into account our own availability and needs,” he added.Jaiswal also assured the security of Indians in the region. “About 10 million Indians live in GCC countries. All of them are safe and we are in constant communication with them. Unfortunately, 8 Indians have been killed in this conflict so far and 1 is missing. “He further said: “At the Ministry of External Affairs, we are committed to safeguarding the security and interests of our citizens in coordination with our Ministry of Shipping and all Indian embassies in the region. We are closely monitoring all developments and activities related to the Gulf region, this ongoing conflict and the Strait of Hormuz.”Furthermore, Jaiswal said of the evacuation efforts: “Several of our Indian nationals (204 to be precise) have been able to leave Iran through the land border for Azerbaijan, from where they will return home. Some of them have already returned, while others will return in the coming days. We are grateful to the Azerbaijani government for the support provided to facilitate the departure of Indian nationals from Iran.“