Qatar Investment Authority is set to open an office in India and Qatar’s first Indian university is scheduled to open this year, local media reported.
An Indian university, as well as three new Indian schools, are expected to open in Qatar this year, the Ambassador of India to Qatar Dr. Deepak Mittal revealed.
Qatar is home to a large population of Indian expats. With over 600,000 Indian nationals in total, the community makes up about a quarter of Qatar’s entire population.
In an interview with local news outlet The Peninsula, the ambassador also said the Qatar Investment Authority [QIA] is also expected to open an office in his home country, in a bid to strengthen trade ties between the two nations. However, QIA has yet to publicly announce the move.
Read also: Qatar, India to boost economic investments
In December, QIA announced the launch of the Qatar-India task force to promote investments. By the end of March, trade volume between the two countries is expected to reach $11 billion, the ambassador noted.
Qatar and India have a long history of trade relations.
In 2019, the two countries recorded a 42% growth in bilateral trade over two years, rising from $8.53 billion in 2016 to $12.12 billion in 2018.
Doha also imports a variety of goods from New Delhi, which include rice, iron and steel, refrigerators, furniture, footwear, freezers, machineries, apparel, and medical supplies.
According to Mittal, there are over 6,000 Indian companies present in Qatar, in almost all sectors including construction and energy, information technology, food and beverage, service industry, hospitality sector, education sector and more.
He also said high level visits have also continued between the two states, noting the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani accepted an invitation by the Prime Minister of India to visit New Delhi once the pandemic is over.
Meanwhile, the “Bubble Arrangement” that allows travel between Qatar and India has been extended until the end of February.
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