India Calls Saudi Advice On Oil 'Undiplomatic'

"I politely disagree with that kind of statement. Certainly India has its own strategy, when and how to use our own storage, and we are conscious about our interests," Pradhan said at an event.

Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday described his Saudi counterpart's advice to reduce oil stores to tackle high crude prices as "undiplomatic". "That was in a way (an) undiplomatic answer by some of our old friend. I politely disagree with that kind of approach. Certainly India has its own strategy, when and how to use our own storage, and we are conscious about our interests," Pradhan said at an event. Pradhan has criticised OPEC and Saudi output cuts aimed at supporting prices and suggested India will have to look for energy alternatives to Gulf oil, its main source of crude. With India hard hit by rising oil prices, Pradhan has repeatedly called on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, to ease supply curbs.