By Aditya Prakash

Kazan [Russia] October 17 (ANI): India's energy security remains a priority amid Western criticism and US sanctions over New Delhi's purchase of Russian energy resources, India's Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar said, emphasising the need to ensure reliable supplies at competitive prices for the country's 1.4 billion people.

Responding to statements by Western countries and US sanctions over India's energy imports from Russia, Kumar highlighted Europe's energy trade with Moscow since 2022.

'Those comments apart, the fact is that since 2022, Europe has imported more than 320 billion dollars of energy resources from Russia, which is far bigger than the trade between India and Russia,' the ambassador said.

He stressed that India's approach to energy procurement was guided by the need to safeguard the interests of its population.

'Be that as it may, for us, the policy and practice are very clear - to ensure energy security of 1.4 billion people of India, diversified sources, predictable sourcing of these products at the most competitive prices,' Kumar said.

India has consistently maintained that its energy procurement decisions are guided by national interests and the need to ensure affordable and reliable supplies for its population.

His remarks come amid continuing scrutiny of India's energy trade with Russia following the Ukraine conflict and Western measures targeting Moscow.

India and Russia have maintained energy ties, with New Delhi emphasising the importance of diversifying its energy sources and securing supplies at competitive prices.

The ambassador's remarks underline India's position that energy security and the interests of its 1.4 billion people remain central to its energy policy. 

Meanwhile, India is pursuing negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) to boost exports to Russia and other member countries, Indian Ambassador to Russia Vinay Kumar said, expressing confidence that New Delhi and Moscow would achieve their bilateral trade target of USD 100 billion by 2030.

Speaking to ANI, Kumar said India and Russia recorded a bilateral trade turnover of USD 38 billion in the first six months of this year, highlighting efforts to expand the range of products traded between the two countries and improve market access for Indian exporters.

'38 billion dollars is the trade turnover in the first six months of this year. We have to both find new products to expand our trade basket and also increase the turnover of the individual products that we are exporting to Russia,' the Ambassador said.

Kumar identified three key areas of focus for strengthening bilateral trade: diversifying India's export basket, improving market access in Russia and advancing negotiations for an FTA with the EAEU.

He said India was working with Russian authorities to address standards and non-tariff barriers faced by Indian exporters, particularly in the agricultural and marine products sectors. The efforts also aim to facilitate the entry of new Indian companies with a record of high-quality exports into the Russian market.

'Third, major that we are working on is negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, which will help Indian exporters to increase their exports to Russian market and also other markets which are members of the Eurasian Economic Union,' Kumar said.

The ambassador expressed optimism about the prospects for bilateral trade, noting that the current growth trajectory could help both countries achieve the target set by their leaders in 2024.

'I think that at the rate at which our trade is growing, we should be able to meet the target that our leaders set in 2024, that is to reach 100 billion dollars of bilateral trade by 2030,' he said.

The remarks came during the second edition of the India-Russia Business Forum, titled Tatarstan Initiative Mutual Efficiency (TIME), in Kazan. The forum aims to facilitate business-to-business interactions, strengthen commercial partnerships and explore new opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries. (ANI)