New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday thanked the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, at the Emiri Palace in Doha, expressing his “deep appreciation” for the Emir’s decision earlier this week to release eight former naval personnel who were sentenced to varying prison terms on reported charges of espionage.
Modi invited the Qatar Emir to visit India and “conveyed India’s commitment to further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation with Qatar.”
“India and Qatar ties are growing stronger and stronger. Had a wonderful meeting … We reviewed the full range of India-Qatar relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation across various sectors. Our nations also look forward to collaborating in futuristic sectors that will benefit our planet,”
Modi said.
“My visit to Qatar has added new vigour to the India-Qatar friendship. India looks forward to scaling up cooperation in key sectors relating to trade, investment, technology, and culture. I thank the government and people of Qatar for their hospitality,” Modi said, on his meeting with Qatar’s Emir.
In addition, Modi met “Father Emir” Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the father of the current ruler. “The Prime Minister congratulated the Father Emir on his visionary leadership that paved the way for Qatar’s development over the past decades. The two leaders held discussions on India-Qatar relations,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
“We are extremely gratified,” foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra reiterated at a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) briefing in Doha, on the release of these eight Indians who were initially sentenced to death in October last year, which was later commuted to prison terms two months later.
The Prime Minister, in whose honour the Emir hosted a banquet lunch, thanked him for taking care of the eight lakh-strong Indian community in Qatar. The two leaders held bilateral talks, with both nations set to expand their energy, trade, and investment partnership with a strategic perspective beyond a “buyer-seller” relationship. Qatar’s leadership told Modi both countries “share an unwavering bond, epitomised by mutual trust and cooperation”.
Qatar is one of the biggest suppliers of natural gas to India. The foreign secretary reiterated that just last week the two nations had signed a deal for supply of 7.5 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum) of LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) from Qatar to India for a period of 20 years from 2028, adding that this “partnership goes back to (the year) 1999.”
Foreign secretary Kwatra added while no specific pacts were signed on Wednesday, the visit was “very successful” and would “lay the basis for deeper ties” and “consolidating the wide-ranging partnership” between the two nations. The foreign secretary said both nations are also looking at strengthening ties in green energy, building supply chains, and use of technology and innovation in the energy sector. Bilateral trade between the two nations currently stands at about $20 billion.
Modi had earlier arrived in Doha from Abu Dhabi late on Wednesday evening (early Thursday morning IST) and was received by Qatar’s state minister for foreign affairs Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi at the airport. He then met Qatar’s PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, also the foreign minister, for talks during which the two leaders had “exchanged views on expanding bilateral cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, energy, finance, and technology”.
They had also “discussed recent regional developments in West Asia and emphasised the importance of upholding peace and stability in the region and beyond”. After these talks, Mr. Modi had then attended a dinner hosted in his honour by the Qatari PM.
