Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday received the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The Amir is on a State Visit to India from February 17-18. The Qatar Amir is on a two-day state visit to India. He is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and a business delegation. He had earlier come to India on a State Visit in March 2015. The Amir of Qatar will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan on February 18.
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Qatar Amir to attend key meetings
Taking to X, PM Modi wrote, "Went to the airport to welcome my brother, Amir of Qatar H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Wishing him a fruitful stay in India and looking forward to our meeting tomorrow." During his visit, the Amir will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour. The Qatar Amir will hold talks with PM Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, covering various aspects of the bilateral relations. Notably, India and Qatar have deep-rooted historical ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect.
India-Qatar ties
In recent years, ties between the two countries, including those in trade, investment, energy, technology, culture, and people-to-people ties, have continued to strengthen. The Indian community residing in Qatar forms the largest expatriate community in the country and is appreciated for its positive contribution in the progress and development of Qatar, according to an official release. The visit of Amir of Qatar will provide further momentum to the growing multifaceted partnership between the two countries, it said.
It should be mentioned here that India regularly participates in the biennial Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) in Qatar. Indian Naval and Coast Guard ships regularly visit Qatar as part of our bilateral cooperation and interaction. India's bilateral trade with Qatar in 2022-23 was USD 18.77 billion. India's exports to Qatar during 2022-23 were USD 1.96 billion and India's imports from Qatar was USD 16.8 billion.
Qatar's key exports to India include LNG, LPG, chemicals and petrochemicals, plastics, and aluminium articles, while India's key exports to Qatar include cereals, copper articles, iron and steel articles, vegetables, fruits, spices, and processed food products, electrical and other machinery, plastic products, construction material, textiles and garments, chemicals, precious stones and rubber.
(With inputs from ANI)