After finishing his UAE go to, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will journey to Doha on February 14 to carry bilateral conferences with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, there, the Ministry of External Affairs introduced on Monday.
This go to assumes significance because it comes after a diplomatic victory of India following the discharge of eight Indian Navy personnel who had been detained in Qatar for almost 18 months since August 2022.
“From UAE after completing his visit on February 14, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Doha, Qatar on February 14 afternoon. During the visit, PM Modi will hold bilateral meetings with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and other high dignitaries in Qatar,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra stated whereas addressing a particular briefing on PM Modi’s go to to UAE.
The Foreign Secretary expressed that PM Modi’s go to would supply a chance for leaders to debate methods to additional deepen and strengthen the multifaceted partnership.
“PM Modi’s visit to Qatar will provide an opportunity for the top leadership of the two countries to discuss ways to further deepen and strengthen our multifaceted partnership as well as exchange views on different regional and international issues of mutual importance,” Kwatra famous.
Kwatra highlighted that this would be the second go to of PM Modi to Qatar, with the final one happening in June 2016. Emphasising the rising ties between India and Qatar, the Foreign Secretary talked about high-level visits to Qatar.
“There have been several high-level exchanges between India and Qatar in recent years. You would recall the visit of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to Doha in November 2022 as also the visit of then Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in June 2022. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has also undertaken multiple visits to Qatar in last 3 to 4 years,” the Foreign Secretary additionally stated.
The relationship between the 2 international locations has grown multifaceted with strong power partnership and collaboration in tradition, training, and safety. The bilateral commerce at the moment stands at roughly USD 20 billion, with Qatar rising as a big investor throughout numerous sectors in India.
“The bilateral relationship between India and Qatar that has been steadily growing includes a comprehensive span, including political ties, trade and investment linkages, a strong energy partnership and ties in the field of culture, education and security,” he stated, including, “Strong bilateral trade between India and Qatar currently stands at roughly USD 20 bn and Qatar is also a significant investor in India across the whole range of economies.”
Specifically mentioning the latest settlement between QatarEnergy and India’s Petronet for the availability of seven.5 million metric tons per 12 months of LNG from Qatar to India for a period of 20 years, beginning in 2028, Kwatra stated, ” You’d be aware following the recently concluded India Energy Week, QatarEnergy and India’s Petronet had signed an agreement for the supply of 7.5 million metric tons per year of LNG from Qatrar to India for 20 years starting 2028″.
The giant Indian diaspora in Qatar, numbering round 840,000, was underscored as an important connection between the 2 nations. In a serious diplomatic triumph for India, eight veterans of the Indian Navy who had been sentenced to demise in Qatar, had been launched by Doha on Monday. The capital punishment was commuted to an prolonged jail time period earlier following diplomatic intervention by New Delhi.
Amid determined pleas by the anxious kin of the Navy veterans to safe their launch and secure passage again to their homeland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had assured that it might mobilise all diplomatic channels and organize authorized help to deliver them again.
Of the eight former Navy officers, seven have already returned to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) knowledgeable by an official assertion earlier at the moment.
The Union authorities launched an official assertion welcoming the choice to set the veteran officers free, saying, “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals.”
The eight Indian nationals had been imprisoned in Qatar since October 2022 and had been accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme. The retired naval personnel had been sentenced to demise by a Qatar court docket on prices that haven’t but been made public formally.
Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai and mentioned bilateral partnership and the “well-being of the Indian community” residing in Qatar.
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