US reminds Pakistan of price cap on Russia oil.

ISLAMABAD -- The United States has suggested Pakistan to follow the Group of Seven (G7) price cap in order to get the best price deal for the import of Russia crude oil, and reiterated its commitment to bilateral energy cooperation under the 'Green Alliance' framework.

In an exclusive interview, State Department Assistant Secretary for Bureau of Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt backed the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (Tapi) pipeline and the Central Asia-South Asia (Casa) projects as part of American diplomacy.

Pyatt visited Pakistan accompanied by a multiple-agency delegation to signal the US commitment to a very strong partnership and also to reflect on the important transitional moment that has arrived.

He said that the Tapi and Casa projects were part of American diplomacy to connect regions, adding that Washington would not give up on these projects despite the challenges after the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul.

Pyatt said that the United States supported the vision of regional connectivity. 'We saw the benefits of energy security and the benefit for Central Asian countries as they can diversify the options for exporting energy resources,' he added.

Indicating that there were more challenges after the Taliban returned to power, he said: 'This does not mean we are giving up the vision of regional connectivity. This is a principle of American energy diplomacy worldwide.'

In the interview, Pyatt mentioned two significant transitions emerging in global energy. One's Russia, which being the largest oil and gas explorer, he said, had weaponised oil and gas against Europe.

He cited the consequences of the war in Ukraine, which led to a spike in gas prices last year. He said that the spike in prices even began before February when Russian President Vladimir Putin first 'weaponised gas supplies' against Europe.

He added that in the current war, Russia would never be viewed as a reliable energy supplier again, and 'this has significant implications for every country where energy is important', including Pakistan.

'Pakistan, like Bangladesh, India, and other developing countries, became victims of Gazprom's actions,' he said. 'Russia is not a reliable energy supplier,' he added, speaking about the much-talked-about oil deal between Pakistan and Russia.

Pyatt hoped that Pakistan conducted negotiations with Russia for crude oil supply 'as hard as it can' to drive the best possible price, stressing that the G7-Plus...