The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday said it is set to start talks with India regarding the country’s full membership in the organisation.

In a statement, IEA said ministers of IEA’s member countries have agreed to start discussions with India on the Indian government’s request for a full membership. “Ministers from the International Energy Agency’s member countries agreed to start discussions with India on the Indian government’s request to become a full IEA member, recognising the country’s ‘strategic importance’ in tackling global energy and climate challenges,” it said. Ministers from the IEA’s 31 member countries made the announcement in a joint communique following the IEA’s 2024 ministerial meeting and 50th anniversary events in Paris on 13-14 February. India, which joined the IEA as an association country in 2017, sent a formal request for full membership to IEA ministers in October. India becoming an IEA member would mark a consequential change in international energy governance, IEA said in its statement. “As the world’s most populous country, India is set to play an increasingly central role in efforts to safeguard energy security, drive inclusive energy transitions, and combat climate change,” IEA said. “In the next three decades, India is poised to see the largest energy demand growth of any country in the world as industrialization and urbanization surge and per capita income rises sharply.” Addressing the ministerial meeting through a video message, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said IEA will benefit from India playing a bigger role in the organisation. Pitching for India’s full membership in the agency, Modi said: “Inclusivity boosts the credibility and capability for any institution. 1.4 billion Indians bring talent, technology and innovation to the table. We bring scale and speed, quantity and quality to every mission. I am sure that the IEA will benefit when India plays a bigger role in it.” French president Emmanuel Macron said he supported IEA’s “efforts to welcome emerging economies, whether through the recent association of Kenya and Senegal or the launch of negotiations with India to join the IEA as a full member.” IEA executive director Fatih Birol described India as a valued and indispensable partner of IEA and said the world cannot plan its energy future without India at the table. Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world to know more.

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