Finance
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani inked an agreement on Tuesday to upgrade India-Qatar relations to a Strategic Partnership, with an emphasis on commerce, energy, investments, innovation, technology, food security, culture, and people-to-people links.
Both presidents held extensive discussions at New Delhi’s Hyderabad House, exchanging perspectives on regional and global topics of mutual concern.
In addition to establishing bilateral strategic cooperation partnerships, both presidents witnessed the signing of an agreement to minimize double taxation and fight fiscal evasion in relation to income taxes.
Earlier, the Amir, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation of ministers, senior officials, and businesspeople, was given a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
In the evening, the visiting leader will meet with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also conduct a banquet in his honor.
In a unique gesture, Prime Minister Modi traveled to the Air Force Station in Palam on Monday evening to greet the Amir during his historic visit, his second to the country since March 2015.
“Went to the airport to welcome my brother, Amir of Qatar H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Wishing him a fruitful stay in India and looking forward to our meeting tomorrow,” the PM had posted on X after receiving Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
The Amir expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister, the Government of India and the friendly people of India for the warm welcome and generous hospitality, noting the depth of the historical relations between the two countries, and stressing that India is one of the most important economic partners of the State of Qatar.
The exchange ceremony was attended by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Khulaifi, Minister of State for Energy Affairs Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi, Minister of Labour Ali bin Saeed Al Marri, Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammed bin Ali Al Mannai, Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani and a number of other dignitaries.
“India and Qatar have deep-rooted historical ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect. In recent years, the ties between the two countries including in the areas of trade, investment, energy, technology, culture and people-to-people ties have continued to strengthen,” read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), last week.
The two countries have also had regular high-level encounters between their leaders. Following Amir’s visit to India in March 2015, Prime Minister Modi paid official visits to Doha in June 2016 and February 2024. The two leaders have also met frequently on the sidelines of other events, such as the COP28 Summit in Dubai (December 2023) and the UN General Assembly.
After M Venkaiah Naidu (June 2022), Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar visited Doha in November 2022 to attend the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony. External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has also had repeated engagements with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, in Doha and on the sidelines of the India-GCC Foreign Ministers conference held in Riyadh under the Chairmanship of Qatar.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh visited Doha in October 2024 and participated in the 3rd Asia Cooperation Dialogue Summit and the 2nd ACD Business Forum while Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw also travelled to Qatar to meet Qatar’s Minister of Communications and IT, Minister of Transport and Governor of QCB and Chairman of QIA.
“The Indian community residing in Qatar forms the largest expatriate community of Qatar, and is appreciated for its positive contribution in the progress and development of Qatar. The visit of His Highness the Amir will provide further momentum to our growing multifaceted partnership,” the MEA states.
With Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to establishing long-standing, historic, and strong connections with all Gulf countries, India’s relations with various Middle Eastern countries have improved, deepened, and strengthened during the last decade.
Prime Minister Modi visited Kuwait in December, the first time an Indian Prime Minister has done so in 43 years.
Gulf countries are India’s primary trade and investment partners, and New Delhi has a strong energy partnership with them.
PM Narendra Modi has also paid multiple visits to the UAE, since India’s relations with the Gulf area have seen significant changes since 2014.
The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which went into effect in May 2022, has greatly increased economic and trade cooperation while also supporting both nations’ national development goals.
During his December visit to New Delhi, Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya described India as a “very important partner” and Prime Minister Modi as “one of the wisest persons” in the world.
Source: IANS
