EAM Sushma Swaraj arrives in Qatar
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrived in Qatar on Sunday on first leg of her four-day visit to Qatar and Kuwait. She is expected to hold discussions for strengthening India’s relationship with Qatar. The external affairs minister will also interact with her Qatari counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
That this is the first-ever visit by an Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) to Doha, said External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
"EAM will call on the Emir of Qatar, hold delegation-level talks with her counterpart and interact with the Indian diaspora," he said in a tweet.
Swaraj will call on Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.
Swaraj will also interact with the Indian community in Doha during her two-day stay on October 28 and 29, it said.
This is Swaraj's first visit as External Affairs Minister to Qatar, it said.
The visit is in pursuit of India's objective of enhanced engagement with the Gulf region which is in India's extended neighbourhood, the MEA said.
Nearly seven lakh Indians who form the largest expatriate community are hosted by Qatar, as it is a reliable energy partner, supplying more than 50 per cent of India's natural gas imports, it said.
Swaraj's next leg of visit would be to Kuwait with which India has close and friendly bilateral relations.
