New Delhi: The Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani is paying a State Visit to India on February 17-18 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Qatar Amir will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Ministers, senior officials and a business delegation, a statement said.
This would be the second visit of the Amir of Qatar to India. 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.
During his visit, the Amir will hold discussions with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour. The Amir will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi covering various aspects of the bilateral relations.
India and Qatar have deep-rooted historical ties of friendship, trust and mutual respect. In recent years, the ties between the two countries including in the areas of 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 of Qatar, and is appreciated for its positive contribution in the progress and development of Qatar. The visit of the Amir will provide further momentum to our growing multifaceted partnership, the statement added.
The Amir of Qatar’s visit comes days after EAM Jaishankar paid an official visit to Qatar from December 30-January 1, 2025, during which he met the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.
Meanwhile, the first meeting of the India-Qatar Joint Business Council was held virtually on Thursday.
It was noted that the bilateral trade between India and Qatar stood at over USD 14 billion during the last financial year, a report said.
There has been an increase in Qatari investments in India, and currently Qatari FDI in India stands at around USD 1.5 billion.
There are around 20,000 Indian-owned SMEs operating in Qatar across the varied sectors of the economy. India-Qatar Joint Business Council has 19 top businessmen from each country.
UNI
