Global oil and gas supply chains have been badly interrupted by the 40-day-long battle in the Middle East, prompting India to initiate a special diplomatic push as the two-week ceasefire brings some relief.
The diplomatic endeavour focuses on resuming oil and gas imports. India has already established direct diplomatic relations with important oil and natural gas producers in the Middle East, namely Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
As part of this unique endeavour, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.Later, in a post on social media site X, he said, "It was a distinct honour to meet with the President of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, in Abu Dhabi today. I sent cordial greetings on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed my appreciation for the efforts made to ensure the safety and security of the Indian community throughout the West Asia conflict. I also thanked him for his advice on improving our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership."
The UAE is India's reliable strategic partner in the Middle East, from which significant amounts of crude oil and natural gas are imported. Bilateral commerce between the two countries topped $100 billion in 2024-25.

Previously, Union Petroleum Minister Hardeep Puri visited Qatar.
The Ministry of Petroleum stated: "During the Petroleum Minister's visit, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to remaining a reliable energy supplier and expressed his country's desire to continue and further strengthen energy ties and cooperation with India."
India imports over 50% of its LNG demand from the international market. Approximately 40% of this comes from Qatar.
During the Middle East conflict, Iran launched missile attacks on numerous large natural gas plants in the region, causing those facilities to suspend production.The Qatari government's decision to shut down key natural gas production plants in the country, along with the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, has seriously affected India's LNG supplies.
The Ministry stated, "Both ministers emphasised the necessity of resolving disruptions in global energy supplies as quickly as possible and restoring normalcy. In this context, they emphasised the importance of uninterrupted shipping and global commerce flows in order to preserve global supply networks."