India-Qatar Relation / PM broke protocol to welcome Qatar's Emir, what did India get?

India-Qatar Relation: Another example of the strength of diplomatic relations between India and Qatar was seen recently, when the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in India as a special guest. His state visit further deepened the growing cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Historic welcome and state honors

The visit of the Emir of Qatar began at Delhi Airport, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol and welcomed him himself. He hugged Sheikh Tamim and called him his brother, indicating close relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Modi and the Emir had a one-to-one meeting at Hyderabad House, where detailed talks were held with the delegations of both the countries. Earlier, President Draupadi Murmu gave him a guard of honor at Rashtrapati Bhavan and a state banquet was organized in his honor.

Economic and strategic cooperation

• India and Qatar signed several important agreements to promote bilateral trade and investment. Under these agreements:
• Qatar will invest US$10 billion (about Rs 87,000 crore) in India.
• This investment will be made in the areas of infrastructure, technology, manufacturing and food security.
• The two countries set an ambitious target to double bilateral trade by 2030.
• Qatar National Bank (QNB) will expand its presence in India and open an office in GIFT City.
• An agreement was reached to operate Indian UPI in Qatar.

Energy and trade relations

Qatar is a significant contributor to India's energy security. India gets 48% of its total LNG imports from Qatar. In 2022-23, India imported 10.74 million metric tonnes of LNG from Qatar, worth $8.32 billion. Apart from this, Qatar is also India's largest LPG supplier.

Other major products imported by India from Qatar:

Ethylene, propylene, ammonia, urea and poly-ethylene.

India exports rice, wheat, fruits and dairy products to Qatar.

Role of NRIs

Around 8.35 lakh NRIs are employed in Qatar, who contribute significantly to Qatar's economy and send about Rs 3500 crore to India every year. Also, more than 15,000 Indian companies are active in Qatar.

Growing strategic ties between Qatar and India

Qatar is not only a major source of energy and investment for India, but it also plays an important role in global diplomacy. Many international issues are discussed in Qatar, be it the Taliban crisis, the Israel-Hamas conflict or India-Afghanistan relations.

This meeting of Prime Minister Modi and Emir Sheikh Tamim has further strengthened the growing cooperation between India and Qatar. This has not only strengthened economic relations, but the cultural and strategic partnership between the two countries has also reached new heights.

Conclusion

The relations between Qatar and India are not limited to trade and energy, but they also play an important role in NRIs, cultural cooperation and global diplomacy. This visit has proved to be an important milestone in further strengthening the relations between the two countries.