The Indian official’s visit will enable Qatar and India to discuss and assess various aspects of their diplomatic relations.
India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar has landed in Qatar in a bid to boost Doha and New Delhi’s bilateral relations, five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Gulf state.
In a statement, India’s foreign ministry confirmed the Sunday visit, adding that Jaishankar will meet Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“India and Qatar share historic and friendly relations which are marked by regular exchange of high-level visits,” the Indian foreign ministry said.
The statement added that Jaishankar’s visit will enable Qatar and India “to review various aspects of bilateral relations including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural and people-to-people”.
Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won this year’s general election earlier this month, previously visited Doha in February, which marked his first such visit to the country since 2016.
At the time, Modi met with Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and expressed his “commitment to further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation” with Qatar.
He also thanked the Qatari leader for hosting the Indian community of 800,000, which represents 26 percent of Doha’s population.
The visit occurred one week after QatarEnergy and India’s Petronet signed a 20-year agreement for liquified natural gas (LNG) supply. Under the terms, Qatar will supply India with 7.5 million tonnes (MMT) of LNG annually throughout the agreement’s duration.
The signing coincided with the 20th anniversary of the first LNG shipment to India from Qatar. The energy sector has played a crucial role in boosting Qatar and India’s bilateral trade, which reached a total of $18.77bn in the year 2022-2023.
In the same period, India exported goods worth $1.96bn to Qatar, while importing $16.8bn from the Gulf state. Key Qatari exports to India include LNG, chemicals, petrochemicals, plastics and aluminium.
India’s exports to Qatar included cereals, copper articles, iron and steel, vegetables, fruits, spices, processed food products, textiles among others.
According to India’s foreign ministry, the country is among Qatar’s three largest export destinations. Qatar is also India’s largest LNG supplier, accounting for 48 percent of its global imports.
There are more than 15,000 Indian companies operating in Qatar, spanning the sectors of infrastructure, communications and information technology.
Aside from trade relations, defence is a key pillar of Qatar and India’s relations. India regularly participates in the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference, where it showcases its naval and coast guard ships.
Culture is another key element in Doha and New Delhi’s relations, which has expanded notably since the signing of the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation in 2012.
In 2019, the Qatar-India Year of Culture was celebrated, which saw the hosting of 45 events including concerts, exhibitions, and fashion shows.
