India, Qatar agree to set up task force on energy investment

New Delhi: India and Qatar on Friday agreed to set up a task force on Energy, to identify specific projects in India's energy sector for Qatari investments, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said.

The task force will be represented by Vice President of Qatar Petroleum and a senior officer from the Petroleum Ministry.

During the discussion with Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan reiterated Qatar's role as a reliable supplier of liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

"I reiterated Qatar's role as a reliable supplier of LNG and LPG. We also agreed to further strengthen cooperation in the energy sector and move beyond the buyer-seller relationship to a comprehensive one, including two-way investments," Pradhan said in a tweet.

He further said that the discussions were held on "promoting Qatari investments in the entire energy value chain in India".

"Minister Al-Kaabi and I have agreed to set up a Task Force on Energy, represented by VP of Qatar Petroleum and a senior officer from Petroleum Ministry to identify specific projects in India's energy sector for Qatari investments," he said in the following tweet.

According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, this discussion was a follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's discussion with Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of Qatar, on December 8.