Dharmendra Pradhan to begin three-nation tour from today; will visit Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar to seek enhanced cooperation in fossil fuel, energy sector

New Delhi: Union petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan will embark on a three-nation visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar from 7 to 12 September to engage with his counterparts in oil and gas as well as steel sectors in these countries. [caption id=“attachment_6451711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan. ANI[/caption] He will be accompanied by an official and business delegation during his visit, an official statement said. In Saudi Arabia, Pradhan will hold meetings with his counterpart Khalid Al-Falih and the senior management of Aramco, the national oil company of the kingdom country. “During his meetings, the minister will seek to further enhance cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the entire value chain of hydrocarbon sector. Saudi Arabia has traditionally been a top supplier of crude oil to India”, the statement said. During his visit to the UAE, Pradhan is scheduled to meet his counterparts Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry and Sultan Ahmad Al Jaber, Minister of State and the ADNOC Group CEO and discuss issues of bilateral hydrocarbon as well as steel sector engagement within the overall framework of India-UAE strategic partnership. The Union minister will also participate in the eighth Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER) at Abu Dhabi on 10 September, where India is the co-host along with the UAE. India will co-host the ninth edition of Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable in 2021, according to the statement. On the sidelines of the roundtable, Pradhan will meet his counterparts from the Asian region and heads of international energy organisations, who are attending the Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable and the World Energy Congress. In Qatar, Pradhan will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Interior Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, apart from meeting his counterpart, the Minister of State of Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, said the statement. Qatar is India’s largest LNG and LPG supplier.