President Draupadi Murmu and PM Modi welcomed Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. During this, he was given a guard of honour. The Qatari Emir also met senior government officials.
Bilateral talks between Emir Al-Thani and PM Modi have begun. After this, he will also meet President Draupadi Murmu. A state dinner will also be organized in honor of the Emir of Qatar at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Emir Al-Thani arrived in India last night, i.e. on February 17. PM Modi himself broke protocol and arrived at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi to welcome him. During this, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was also present. The Emir of Qatar arrived on a two-day visit to India on February 17.
Qatar’s Emir Al-Thani’s visit to India in 5 pictures…
2 MOUs signed between India and Qatar
The purpose of his visit is to strengthen bilateral relations. In late 2024, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Qatar. Here he met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. This was his fourth visit to Qatar in a year.
Two Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) were signed between India and Qatar in Delhi on Monday. Union Minister Piyush Goyal and Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani were present during the event. Both of them launched a joint trade forum between India and Qatar. Speaking to the media, Piyush Goyal said that there is huge potential for trade and investment between the two countries.
Why is Qatar special for India?
According to experts, after Trump became the President of the United States again, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty from Europe to the Middle East. No one knows when and what decision Trump will take. Trump was very strict towards Iran during his previous term. This time too, he may impose new sanctions on Iran.
In such a situation, India is looking at Qatari Emir as a safe option to meet its energy needs. Qatari Emir is India’s largest LNG supplier. 50% of India’s LNG requirement comes from Qatar. In addition, Qatar supplies 30% of India’s LPG requirement.
India’s trade deficit with Qatar is $10.64 billion
According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), trade between India and Qatar was $14.04 billion in 2023-24. However, India’s trade deficit in trade between Qatar and India is very large. Qatar buys goods worth $1.70 billion from India.
At the same time, India buys goods worth $12.34 from Qatar. In such a situation, India has a trade deficit of $10.64 billion with Qatari Emir. India buys the most petroleum gas ($9.71 billion) from Qatari Emir, while Qatar buys the most rice (Rs. 1.33 thousand crore) from India.
15 thousand Indian companies in Qatar
According to the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, about 15,000 Indian companies are operating in Qatar. This includes big companies like Larsen & Toubro, TCS and Mahindra. There are about 835,000 Indian citizens in Qatari Emir , who are contributing in various fields like medical, engineering, education, finance and labor.
Tensions arose between India and Qatar in the year 2022. In fact, BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made controversial comments about Prophet Muhammad on a TV show. Qatar was the first to react after that. Qatari Emir complained to the Indian government about this and publicly apologized.