After a decade, the Emir of Qatar returns to visit India

On February 17, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in the capital New Delhi, beginning a two-day state visit to India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) welcomes Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the airport on February 17. (Source: X)

This is the second visit of Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to India. His previous state visit was in March 2015. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the Emir of Qatar at the airport in the capital New Delhi.

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had "longstanding ties of deep friendship, mutual trust and respect" and that the relationship continued to strengthen.

The Hindustan Times quoted a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as saying that the visit by the Emir of Qatar will give "further impetus to our growing multilateral partnership".

In recent years, relations between the two countries in the fields of trade, investment, energy, technology, culture and people-to-people diplomacy have continued to be strengthened.

The Indian community living in Qatar is the largest expatriate community in the Gulf state and is highly regarded for their positive contributions to the progress and development of the host country.

Defence cooperation is an important pillar of the bilateral agenda. India provides defence training to Qatar and regularly participates in the biennial Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX).

Ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard regularly visit Qatar as part of bilateral cooperation and interaction activities.

The bilateral trade between the two countries in 2022-23 is expected to be $18.77 billion. India's exports to Qatar in 2022-23 were $1.96 billion while imports stood at $16.8 billion.

Qatar's major exports to India include liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), chemicals and petrochemical products, plastics and aluminium articles, while India's major exports to Qatar include cereals, copper, iron and steel articles, vegetables, fruits, spices and processed food products, machinery, plastic products, construction materials, textiles, chemicals, precious stones and rubber.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/sau-mot-thap-ky-quoc-vuong-qatar-tro-lai-tham-an-do-304708.html