Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in New Delhi on Monday on a state visit that would cover two days to India, for which he is scheduled to see President Droupadi Murmu on February 18 and to have a sit-down conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 18.
In an exceptional diplomatic gesture, Prime Minister Modi personally went to the airport to welcome the Emir of Qatar upon his arrival in the Indian capital. The prime minister shared his sentiments on social media platform X, stating, “Went to the airport to welcome my brother, Amir of Qatar H H Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Wishing him a fruitful visit to India and eagerly looking forward to our meeting tomorrow.
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.@TamimBinHamad pic.twitter.com/seReF2N26V
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 17, 2025
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), this high-profile visit aims to strengthen the growing multifaceted partnership between India and Qatar. The Emir is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including key ministers, senior officials, and prominent business leaders.
Meetings and Diplomatic Engagements
According to the MEA’s official media advisory, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is to pay the Emir a courtesy visit in the evening.
Official events will commence from Tuesday morning with a ceremonial reception of the Qatari head of state at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhawan. Thereafter, the Emir is scheduled to have a meeting with the Prime Minister Modi at Hyderabad House, during which, the two leaders will have a discussion on various points of bilateral relationship.
India and Qatar have deep economic and diplomatic relations and their discussions will concentrate on further collaboration in thematics of trade, investment, energy, technology and the culture field.
Exchange of Agreements
The MEA confirmed that several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be exchanged between the two nations on Tuesday afternoon. These contracts are going to contribute to further build relations at bilateral level and promote cooperation in a wider range of domains.
After the MoU exchange, the Emir of Qatar is to call on the President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan.
Significance of the Visit
This visit is the Emir of Qatar’s second visit to India having paid his first visit in March 2015. It is at the request of Prime Minister Modi and highlights deepening of India-Qatar relations over years.
The MEA emphasized the historical bonds of friendship, trustworthiness, and respect that exist between the two nations. India and Qatar have considerably stepped up apart from the above-mentioned sectors to working together in the areas of trade, investment, energy as well as people-to-people relations. The strengthened cooperation is also shown in the more and more cultural exchanges and business collaborations between the two countries.
The Indian diaspora in Qatar has been playing a significant role in the development of Qatar. They are the largest expat community in Qatar and their presence is much respected by the Qatari government.
Strategic Partnerships and Economic Cooperation
India and Qatar, for their part, have close economic relationships with Qatar being one of India’s main sources of energy. There has been a continuous increase in bilateral trade between the two countries, and during the visit, the subjects to be discussed are expected to include trade and investment cooperation.
The sessions between the heads of the two states will also include regional security, bilateral defense, and progress in technology and digital infrastructure. India and Qatar have been actively pursuing the signing of b2b and g2g stronger relations in order to themselves economic growth and stability.
Conclusion
The visit of the Emir is anticipated to strengthen Indo-Qatar ties and chart the course for enhanced strategic and economic partnership in the years to come. When the two leaders meet, their interaction is bound to foster new ways to work together, and to reaffirm the deep friendship between the two countries.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by YPBB News staff and is published from a syndicated agency feed.
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