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Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri arrived in Doha on a two-day visit at a time when Qatar's gas supplies have been disrupted due to escalating tensions in the West Asia region and attacks on key energy infrastructure.
According to a post by the Embassy of India, Doha, Qatar, on X, the minister reached the Qatari capital on Thursday and was received by Indian diplomatic officials. "Hon'ble Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Singh Puri arrived in Doha for a two-day visit," the embassy said in the post. The embassy further added that the minister was received at the airport by senior officials. "He was welcomed at the airport by the Ambassador of India to Qatar, Mr Vipul and officials of QatarEnergy," the post said. The visit comes at a crucial time as energy supplies in the region have been affected by the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. Qatar's state-run energy company QatarEnergy had earlier halted liquefied natural gas (LNG) production after military attacks hit its facilities, disrupting one of the world's largest gas supply hubs. The suspension of production raised concerns about global energy supplies and prices. Reports have indicated that attacks on energy infrastructure in Qatar damaged key LNG facilities and knocked out a significant portion of the country's export capacity, highlighting the growing impact of the conflict on the global energy market. Against this backdrop, Puri's visit is expected to focus on strengthening energy cooperation between India and Qatar and reviewing the impact of the regional tensions on energy supplies. India imports a significant portion of its natural gas from Qatar, making the stability of supplies from the Gulf nation critical for the country's energy security. (ANI)
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