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Indian Minister of Renewable Energy: We Seek Deeper Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, and his Indian counterpart, during the signing of the agreement between the two countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, and his Indian counterpart, during the signing of the agreement between the two countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Indian Minister of Renewable Energy: We Seek Deeper Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, and his Indian counterpart, during the signing of the agreement between the two countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Minister of Energy, and his Indian counterpart, during the signing of the agreement between the two countries (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Indian Minister of Electricity and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh said that his country was seeking to establish a deeper partnership with Saudi Arabia and to maximize bilateral projects, underlining New Delhi’s commitment to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of his participation in the Middle East and North Africa Climate Week (MENACW) 2023 in Riyadh, Singh said that Saudi Arabia was a reliable source of crude oil and India’s fourth-largest bilateral trading partner, noting that hydrocarbons accounted for about 68.6 percent of bilateral trade.

“Saudi Arabia plays an important role in India’s energy security, as is the second-largest exporter of crude oil to India after Iraq, and the fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas,” he said, expecting the “Climate Week” event to produce enabling factors and technologies to achieve comprehensive transformations.

According to the minister, the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council will create a multi-faceted and mutually beneficial strategy that includes cultural exchanges, defense and security cooperation, trade and investments, healthcare, technology, energy security and food security.

He added that the relations between Saudi Arabia and India are based on mutual respect, trust and cooperation, since independence.

“These relations gained further momentum with the visits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Saudi Arabia in 2016 and 2019, and the visits of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, to India in 2019, where the India-Saudi Strategic Partnership Council was established, covering the entire scope of our bilateral relations,” Singh told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Economic, cultural and sports cooperation

The Indian minister went on to say that India was the second-largest trading partner for Saudi Arabia, while the Kingdom was India’s fourth-largest trading partner.

“Bilateral defense cooperation between the two countries has witnessed further progress this year, with engagements reaching their highest levels ever, demonstrating the strong interdependence and mutual trust between our two great countries,” he stated.

Singh continued: “Saudi Arabia has also become a favorite destination for Bollywood movies, while yoga and cricket are very popular in the Kingdom... The presence of more than 2.4 million strong Indian communities in the Kingdom is a living bridge between our two great countries.”

Cooperation in energy

The minister pointed out that Saudi Arabia plays an important role in his country’s energy security, being the second-largest exporter of crude oil to India, and the fourth-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.

In this context, he said that he signed with his Saudi counterpart, Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, a historic memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the fields of electrical connectivity, clean green hydrogen, and supply chains.

“This memorandum of understanding aims to establish a general framework for cooperation between the two countries in the field of electrical interconnection during peak times and emergency situations, joint development of projects, joint production of clean green hydrogen and renewable energy, as well as the establishment of safe, reliable and flexible supply chains for materials used in clean green hydrogen,” he remarked.

Renewable energy in India

According to Singh, India, with its ambitious agenda, is leading the way in the energy transition and emerging as a global leader.

“We are aware of our responsibilities as an emerging economy, and have taken important measures to shift towards a low-carbon economy without compromising our growth and development,” he said, adding: “India is committed to aligning its energy transition efforts with the common goal of limiting global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.”

He stressed that his country has made great strides in enhancing power generation capacity from traditional fuels, establishing a unified national grid, strengthening the distribution network, encouraging renewable energy, expanding access to electricity and achieving full comprehensive household electrification, and implementing innovative policies.

Hydrogen, a pivotal source of clean energy

Raj Kumar Singh said that green hydrogen will play a crucial role in decarbonizing industrial sectors, along with renewable energy sources.

“India took the lead and recently launched the Green Hydrogen Mission with the ambitious goal of achieving 5 million metric tons of green hydrogen production annually by 2030,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he wants to build a state that has the decision of war and peace and stressed he is committed to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, his first since his election in January, Aoun said: “Our objective is to build the state, so nothing is difficult. And if we want to talk about the concept of sovereignty, its concept is to place the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state, and to monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”

“When will it be achieved? Surely, the circumstances will allow it,” he told the newspaper.

Asked whether the state will be able to impose control over all Lebanese territories with its own forces and without any military or security partnership, he said: "It is no longer allowed for anyone other than the state to fulfill its national duty in protecting the land and the people ... When there is an aggression against the Lebanese state, the state makes the decision, and it determines how to mobilize forces to defend the country."

He also stressed his full commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “The state and all its institutions are committed to implementing the Resolution” on the “entire Lebanese territories,” Aoun said.

On the possible adoption of a defense strategy, Aoun insisted that even if a state does not have enemies on its borders, it should agree on a national security strategy that not only deals with military goals but also economic and fiscal objectives.

“We are tired of war,” he said in response to a question. “We hope to end military conflicts and resolve our problems through diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised that the Israeli army has stayed at five points in south Lebanon, Aoun said that Israel should have committed to the ceasefire agreement that was sponsored by the US and France and should have withdrawn from all areas it had entered during the war with Hezbollah.

“We are in contact with France and the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five points because they don’t have any military value,” he said.

“With the emergence of technologies, drones and satellites,” an army does not need a hill for surveillance, Aoun added.

"Saudi Arabia has become a gateway for the region and for the whole world. It has become a platform for global peace,” he said when asked why he has chosen to visit the Kingdom on his first official trip abroad.

“I hope and expect from Saudi Arabia, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that we correct the relationship for the benefit of both countries and remove all the obstacles ... so that we can build economic and natural relations between us.”

He said that during his visit he plans to ask Saudi Arabia to revive a grant of military aid to Lebanon.

On relations with the Syrian authorities, Aoun said he intends to have friendly ties the new Syrian administration and that one of the pressing issues is to resolve the problem of the porous border between the two countries.

“There are problems on the border (with Syria) with smugglers. Most importantly, the land and sea border with Syria should be demarcated,” he said.

Aoun also called for resolving the problem of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “The Syrian state cannot give up on 2 million citizens who have been displaced to Lebanon.”

The refugees should return because “the Syrian war ended and the regime that was persecuting them collapsed,” he said.