Doha, 16 Feb. 2024

Amir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi held a session of official talks at the Amiri Diwan on Thursday, official news agency of State of Qatar ‘QNA’ (Qatar News Agency) reported.

The Amir of Qatar welcomed and wished Prime Minister of India and the accompanying delegation a pleasant stay and further development in bilateral elations in different spheres to meet the aspirations of the two friendly countries.

India’s Prime Minister extended thanks to the Amir of Qatar for the warm reception and generous hospitality, wishing to strengthen relations to broader levels.

Both sides discussed areas of joint cooperation especially in the economic, investment, development and energy fields. They also exchanged views on key regional and international issues of common concern.

Among present on the occasion were Chief of the Amiri Diwan, Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani; Advisor to the Amir for National Security, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Misnad; Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi; Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al-Thani; Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al Khulaifi; and a number of dignitaries and senior officials.

On the Indian side, present were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar; National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval; and members of the accompanying official delegation.

Later, the Amir of State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani hosted a luncheon banquet in honor of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his accompanying delegation.

Earlier on arrival at the Amiri Diwan, Prime Minister of India was given guard of honour.

Indian Prime Minister Modi along with his delegation arrived on Wednesday night from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where he inaugurated first Hindu temple in the Middle East.

Upon arrival on Wednesday night Prime Minister Modi had meeting with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of State of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bun Abdulrahman AlThani.

The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on his official account on X social media platform confirmed that the talks between both the leaders held on Thursday were distinguished.

Both sides discussed the significant aspects of their growing historical and economic relations, and discussed the most prominent common priorities and the outline for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the next stage in light of the promising capabilities and opportunities the two friendly countries possess.

Official News Agency of India, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported Prime Minister Modi comments on visit to State of Qatar as ‘new vigour’  to the bilateral friendship and underlined that India looks forward to scaling up cooperation with the Gulf nation in key sectors like trade, investment, technology and culture.

Modi’s visit was significant as it came a week after Qatar released eight Indian nationals, who were sentenced to death after being arrested here in August 2022.

During his less than 24-hours visit, his second since he became the Prime Minister, Modi held wide-ranging talks with the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, primarily focusing on significantly expanding India-Qatar ties in areas of trade, energy, investment and new technology, PTI reports.

On the sidelines of meeting between both the leaders of State of Qatar and India, officials of Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) addressed a press conference in Doha on Thursday. Present on the occasion were Vinay Kwatra, Indian Foreign Secretary; Assem R Mahajan, Joint Secretary (Gulf) at MEA;  Randhir Jaiswal, Joint Secretary and official Spokesperson MEA; and Indian ambassador to Qatar Vipul.

Vinay Kwatra said that the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar has set the stage for taking India-Qatar relationship to much higher level across all domains of co-operation and laid the foundation to explore opportunities in some new areas.

He said that Prime Minister Modi had also met with the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and on Wednesday met in the evening upon arrival to Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohmmed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani.

Kwatra said that the Indian premier thanked the Amir for taking care of the welfare of the Indian community in Qatar and discussed various areas of collaboration between Qatar and India.

“The prime minister had a successful visit to Qatar and it included discussions on co-operation in new areas such as space, technology and innovation. Both sides held delegation-level discussions and restricted talks. The discussions covered a wide array of topics including economic co-operation, investments, energy partnership, space collaboration, urban infrastructure, cultural bonds and people-to-people ties. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues,” explained Kwatra.
“Both leaders held discussions on areas of co-operation including trade partnership, investment co-operation, and energy partnership, issues related to regional security, cultural affinity and people-to-people ties. The two leaders focused on the need for strategic investment and strategic partnership in the field of energy and technology. They also discussed the topics of national and international importance. The prime minister also invited His Highness the Amir to pay a visit to India,” continued Kwatra.
According to the Indian foreign secretary, the bilateral trade between both the countries stands roughly at $20bn. “The discussions focused on strong investment co-operation that India and Qatar have; strong and vibrant Indian diaspora living in Qatar; the multifaceted partnership in energy which includes energy trade and energy supply chain contributing to the field of energy security,” he highlighted.
Kwatra said that Indian prime minister during his meeting with His Highness the Father Amir congratulated him for his visionary leadership that has paved the way for the development of Qatar in the past decades and laying the foundation for strong India-Qatar bilateral relationship.
His Highness the Father Amir commented that India and Qatar share an unwavering bond empitomised by mutual trust and co-operation and appreciated the role of Indian diaspora in Qatar. “On the sidelines of India Energy Week held in Goa recently, the two countries signed an agreement for 7.5mn metric tonnes per annum LNG from Qatar to India for two decades starting from 2028 onwards. This long-term partnership goes way back to 1999 and remains robust and future oriented,” added, the foreign secretary.