Washington: US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has cancelled a crucial trip to India, scheduled for this month, amid strained relations between the two countries over the arrest of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade on alleged visa fraud charges in New York last month.
At the India-US Energy Dialogue, to be led by Moniz, the two countries were expected to make significant progress in energy co-operation. State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki has now said that the dialogue will now be rescheduled and will take place at a mutually convenient date later.
The Energy Secretary’s visit to India for the dialogue was considered important for both the countries. At a summit in September last year, US president Barack Obama and Indian Prime minister Manmohan Singh had identified co-operation in the energy sector as an important pillar of India-US strategic partnership. In fact, clean energy was the focus of Secretary of State John Kerry’s India visit last summer.
The US-India Energy Dialogue was launched on May 31, 2005 to promote increased trade and investment in the energy sector. Five working groups had been set up under the initiative in areas of oil and gas, coal, power and energy efficiency, new technologies and renewable energy and civil nuclear co-operation. Another working group on ‘sustainable development’ was added recently. The last India-US Energy Dialogue took place in September 2012.
Preparations were on to make significant progress on US giving approval for LNG export to India during this visit, sources said. India has been pushing the US to expedite this process to meet its galloping energy needs. The now postponed India US Energy Dialogue was also expected to implement the decisions taken by President Obama and Dr Singh with regard to clean energy.
Bureau Report
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