India-Qatar

India Qatar Bilateral Relations

India-Qatar Bilateral Relations

 

India-Qatar cooperation in diverse sectors has been steadily growing in an excellent framework provided by historically close ties and regular and substantive engagement, including at the highest levels of the two Governments. The large, diverse, accomplished and highly regarded Indian community is making an important contribution to Qatar's progress and in nurturing the bonds of deep-rooted friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

 

Political Relations

 

2.  There has been regular exchange of high-level bilateral The Amir of Qatar H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani had paid a State Visit to India in March 2015. Previously, the then Amir H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani [now the Father Amir] had visited India in 1999, 2005 and 2012. The then Qatari PM Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani visited India in December 2016. During H.H. the Amir's visit to India in March, 2015, the two sides discussed ways and means to build a forward-looking partnership by further broadening and deepening the bilateral engagement and by better leveraging the existing complementarities between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including inter alia, energy, power, petrochemicals, investments, infrastructure development, project exports, education, culture, health, human resource, media and information technology. Six Agreements / MOUs were signed during the visit, in the following areas: (i) Transfer of sentenced Persons; (ii) Mutual Cooperation between Foreign Service Institute, MEA and Diplomatic Institute, MFA; (iii) Cooperation in Information and Communication Technology; (iv) Cooperation in Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences; (v) Cooperation in Radio and Television; and (vi) Mutual Cooperation and Exchange of News between Qatar News Agency and United News Agency.

 

3.  Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Qatar on 14-15 February, 2024. This was his second visit to Qatar. During the visit, he met H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of Qatar, H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. PM’s visit provided an excellent opportunity to both sides to engage at the highest level, and imparted a fresh momentum to the bilateral ties.

 

4.  Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi paid a state visit to Doha from 4-5 June, 2016 at the invitation of H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of This was the highest- level visit from India to Qatar since the visit of former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh in November 2008. This was the highest- level visit from India to Qatar since the visit of former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh in November 2008.

 

5.  During his visit to Doha in June 2016, PM held extensive talks with H.H. the Amir and exchanged views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual concern. Seven MoUs/ Agreements between the two sides were signed during PM’s visit, which includes (1) MoU for investment in National Investment and Infrastructure Fund of India; (2) MoU between Financial Intelligence Unit – India (FIU-IND) and the Qatar Financial Information Unit (QFIU); (3) MoU for Cooperation in Skill Development and Recognition of Qualifications; (4) MoU for Cooperation in the field of Health; (5) Agreement on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Custom Matters; (6) MoU on Tourism Cooperation; and (7) First Executive Program for MoU in the field of Youth and Sports.

 

6.  Prime Minister Modi met the Amir on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai on 01 December 2023 and discussed the potential of India-Qatar bilateral partnership and well-being of the Indian community in Qatar. Earlier, the Prime Minister had met H.H. the Amir of Qatar on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on 23 September 2019 in New York where they discussed bilateral relations and regional and international issues of mutual interest. They have been in constant touch with each other telephonically. They had spoken on 29 October 2022 and discussed bilateral relations, and agreed to jointly celebrate the 50 years of India-Qatar Diplomatic relations.

 

7.  Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of Qatar, H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, undertook an official visit to India from 2-3 December, During the visit, various Agreements/MOUs were signed, including the Agreement for Exemption of Visa Requirement for Holders of Diplomatic, Special and Official Passport Holders, and MoUs on Technical Cooperation in Cyber Space and Combating Cyber Crime; and between the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy of Qatar and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in addition to a Letter of Intent for e-visas for tourists and businessmen. Separately, an MoU between Qatar Ports Management Company ("Mwani Qatar”) and Indian Ports Global Private Limited was concluded.

 

8.  Hon'ble Vice President of India (HVPI) Shri M Venkaiah Naidu paid an official visit to Qatar in June 2022. He met Prime Minister of Qatar H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, and Father Amir of Qatar H.H. Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Speaker of Shura Council of Qatar, called on HVPI. During the meetings both sides emphasized the historical relations between both the peoples, and ways to take bilateral relations to further heights. HVPI chaired an India-Qatar Business Forum in association with Qatari Businessmen Association & Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry during the visit. Hon’ble Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar also visited Doha in November 2022 and attended the inauguration ceremony of FIFA World Cup 2022. On the sidelines, HVPI met H.H. Amir Sheikh Tamim as well as a number of other world leaders.

9.  There have been several high-level visits between the two countries in the recent past:

 

(i) EAM Dr. S Jaishankar, during his visit to Doha on 9 February 2022, met DPM/FM Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. They jointly laid the foundation stone for new Chancery building in the land allocated in the diplomatic enclave.

 

(ii) EAM Dr. S. Jaishankar, during his visit to Doha, met Qatar’s DPM/FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and DPM/MoS for Defence Affairs Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah (15 June, 2021) and NSA Mohammed bin Ahmed al Misnad (09 June, 2021) and reviewed the bilateral relations and discussed global and regional developments. He met Qatar’s DPM/FM in August 2021 and discussed the situation in Afghanistan.

 

(iii) EAM Dr. S Jaishankar paid a two day standalone visit to Qatar on December 27-28, 2020. During the visit, he called on Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, PM & Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani and Qatari DPM and FM Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. EAM handed over a written message from Indian Prime Minister to Amir, inviting him to visit India in the near future. He also met Qatar Chamber, QBA officials and urged Qatari businessmen to invest in India. EAM held a virtual interaction with the Indian community in Qatar.

 

(iv) Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, MOS for External Affairs and Education of India attended the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), in Doha from 4-8 March 2023.

 

(v) Shri V Muraleedhran, MoS for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs visited Qatar from 8-10 May 2022 and held discussion with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs HE Soltan bin Saad Al Muraikhi. They reviewed bilateral relations in addition to discussion on global and regional developments. MOS also met other Qatari dignitaries as well as a wide cross section of Indian community.

 

(vi) Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister for Railways, Communications and Electronics & Information Technology visited Qatar on 26-27 February 2024 and held meetings with Qatar’s Minister for Communications and Information Technology, H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Ali bin Mohammed Al Mannai, Minister for Transport H.E. Mr. Jassim bin Saif bin Ahmed Al Sulaiti and the Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority and Governor of Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Bandar bin Mohamed bin Saoud Al-Thani. Minister Shri Vaishnaw also interacted with Qatari and Indian businessmen during a luncheon meeting organized by the Indian Business and Professionals Council, Qatar in addition to addressing an afternoon session at the Web Summit Qatar 2024. The visit gave an opportunity to the both sides exchange ideas on further broadening of India-Qatar partnership in various areas including in areas like digital payments, 5G, start-ups, ports, railways and telecom infrastructure.

 

(vii) Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs Engineer Saad bin Sherida Al Kaabi visited India on 5-6 February 2024. During the visit, he met India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Hardeep Singh Puri in addition to participating in the India Energy Week 2024. During the visit, QatarEnergy and PetronetLNG signed a SPA contract for supply of 7.5 MMTPA LNG for 20 years starting from 2028.

 

(viii) Jassim bin Seif bin Ahmed al-Sulaiti, Minister of Transport of Qatar visited New Delhi from 5-8 February 2023. He met with Union Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Jairam Gadkari and Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal.

 

(ix) Sheikh Khalifa Bin Jassim Al-Thani, Chairman of Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry participated in the B20 Summit in New Delhi from 24-28 August 2023.

 

(x) Mutlaq bin Majed Al Qahtani, Special Envoy of the Foreign Minister for Counter-terrorism and Mediation in Conflict Resolution of Qatar, participated in the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing “No Money for Terror”, held in New Delhi from 18-19 November 2022.

 

(xi) Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiayh visited India from 03-05 February 2020 and met with Defence Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar. During the visit, Dr. Al Attiyah also visited the DefExpo 2020 exhibtion in Lucknow.

 

(xii) Qatar’s MOS for Energy Affairs Saad Sherida Al Kaabi visited New Delhi on 27 January 2020 and met with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. The two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in the field of energy. Earlier, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas of India Shri Dharmendra Pradhan visited Qatar from 11-12 September 2019 and met with MOS for Energy Affairs and Qatar Petroleum CEO & President Saad Sherida Al Kaabi in Doha. He also called on the then Qatari PM and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani and discussed bilateral relations and issues of mutual concern.

 

(xiii) (Dr.) V. K. Singh (Retd), the then MOS for External Affairs of India, visited Doha from 01-02 May 2019 to attend the 16th Ministerial Meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD). On the sidelines of the event, he held meetings with his Qatari counterpart Soltan bin Saad Al Muraikhi.

 

(xiv) A high-level delegation from Qatar led by Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed al-Sulaiti visited Mumbai from 14-16 January 2019 to participate in the Global Aviation Summit. On the sidelines, Qatari delegation held meeting with India’s Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha. The two sides discussed aspects of co-operation in the fields of transport and aviation services, and potential investment opportunities in these areas.

 

(xv) Sushma Swaraj, the then EAM visited Doha on 28-30 October 2018 which was the first-ever visit by any Indian External Affairs Minister to Doha. During the visit, EAM called on H.H. the Amir and discussed issues of common concern. She also called on the then Qatari PM Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, and discussed of bilateral relations. EAM held delegation level talks with the Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral relations. During the visit the two sides also signed a Joint Declaration to establish Joint Commission.

 

(xvi) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani visited India on 25-26 August, 2017 and held delegation-level talks with EAM Smt. Sushma Swaraj on 26 August during which matters of mutual interest were The two sides reviewed progress on the follow-up of key decisions taken during the high-level bilateral visits which have been contributing to building a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries. The visiting Qatari Minister called on PM Modi to hand over a letter from H.H. the Amir of Qatar. During the meeting, the Qatari side welcomed participation of the Indian companies through project exports in Qatar’s infrastructure development, including for the ongoing FIFA 2022 related infrastructure. Sheikh Mohammed briefed his Indian interlocutors about the situation in the Gulf region.

 

10.  Other recent virtual/telephonic engagements include:

 

(i) Prime Minister Modi held a phone call with HH Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani on 29 October 2022. The Prime Minister thanked H.H. for his gracious Diwali greetings, and conveyed best wishes for a successful FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Both leaders agreed to jointly celebrate 50 years of India-Qatar diplomatic relations in 2023.

 

(ii) Telephone call between EAM Dr S Jaishankar DPM/FM Abdulrahman Al-Thani on 22 January 2022.

 

(iii) Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Hardeep Puri and Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs of Qatar Saad Sherida Al Kaabi on 10 July 2021.

 

(iv) EAM Dr S Jaishankar participated in Qatar Economic Forum virtually, on 22 June 2021.

(v) Commerce and Industry Minister of India Mr. Piyush Goyal and Commerce and Industry Minister of Qatar Ali bin Ahmed Al-Kuwari held a virtual meeting on 6 May 2021 to discuss bilateral trade relations.

 

(vi) Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India and Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Mr. Saad Sherida Al Kaabi held telephonic conversation in the first week of May 2021 to discuss Covid situation. Earlier, they had spoken on 11 December 2020 and agreed to set up Joint Task Force on Energy.

 

(vii) Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister participated in Raisina Dialogue virtually on 13 April 2021.

 

(viii) Minister of Transport and Communications of Qatar Mr. Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti participated virtually in the 2nd edition of Maritime India Summit on 2 March 2021.

 

10. Meetings of Institutional Mechanisms:

 

(i) India and Qatar held 4th Round of Foreign Office Consultations virtually on 1 February 2021. The Indian side was led by Secretary (CPV & OIA) Sanjay Bhattacharya and the Qatari side by Secretary General (SG) of the Foreign Ministry Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi. During the meeting, the whole gamut of bilateral relations was reviewed including political, energy, trade, investments, defense, food security, health security, science and technology, consular, community and cultural aspects.

 

(ii) 3rd meeting of the Joint Task Force on Energy took place virtually on 30 June 2021 respectively.

 

(iii) 2nd meeting of Joint Committee on Security and Law Enforcement was held on 26 October 2021 (virtually) between Ministry of Home Affairs and Qatari Ministry of Interior. Both sides agreed to further strengthen and deepen bilateral cooperation, including in the fields of cyber security, counter terrorism, prevention of trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances, enhancing industrial security, countering economic frauds, arrangements for FIFA World Cup 2022 to be hosted by Qatar.

 

(iv) Inaugural meeting of Joint Customs Cooperation Committee was held on 01 December 2021 in virtual mode.

 

(v) The 1st meeting of Joint Working Group on Health Cooperation was held virtually on 16 December 2021 between and MoHFW, India and Ministry of Public Health of Qatar. Both sides discussed digital health & pandemic management, pharmaceutical cooperation, exchange of experts and professionals, medical value tourism and possible areas of cooperation.

 

(vi) Joint Working Group on Labour and Manpower Development: The 7th Meeting of the JWG was held on 4-5 May 2022.

 

Defence

 

12. Defence cooperation is an important pillar of our bilateral agenda. India offers training slots in its defence institutions to a number of partner countries, including 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-Qatar Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed during the PM’s visit to Qatar in November 2008, and further extended for a period of five years in November 2018. The agreement is implemented through the Joint Defence Cooperation Committee (JDCC), which held its fifth meeting in Doha on 27-28 November 2019.

 

13. Major visits by defence delegations and ship visits:

 

(i) Flag Officer Commanding- In-Chief Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh along with his delegation visited Doha from 20-24 Mar 22 for participating in DIMDEX 22 and Middle East Naval Commanders Conference. The Admiral during his visit met HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz Al Thani, PM and Minister of Interior Qatar, Lt General (Pilot) Salem Hamad Mohammed Aqueel Al Nabit, the Chief of Staff, Qatar Armed Forces and Maj Gen (Sea) Abdullah Hassan Al Sulaiti, Commander QENF. INS Kolkata participated in DIMDEX-22.

 

(ii) The Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt General Chandy Prasad Mohanty visited Doha from 07-08 Dec 21. The Vice Chief met with Commander, Qatar Emiri Land Forces and Barzan Holding Vice President.

 

(iii) Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, Deputy PM and Minister of State for Defence Affairs visited India in Feb 2020 and held bilateral talks with Raksha Mantri and EAM. The Minister also attended the opening ceremony of DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow.

 

(iv) C-17 Aircrafts of Indian Air Force visited Doha in the month of May and June 2021 to transport cryogenic containers as part of Covid relief operation.

 

(v) INS Kolkata, INS Tarkash, INS Trikand and INS Shardul visited Hamad Port, Doha in the month of May and June 2021 to undertake shipping of medical supplies for Covid Relief from Qatar as part of “Op Samudra Setu- II”.

 

(vi) Indian Naval Ship INS Tarkash, commanded by Captain Happy Mohan, paid a port call at Hamad Port on 22-23 April, 2021.

 

(vii) The Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces, Gen. (Pilot) Ghanim bin Shaheen Al Ghanim, visited in India from 19-22 June 2018 and called on all the three service chiefs and Defence Secretary. An agreement on white shipping information sharing was signed during the visit.

 

(viii) The Commander of the Qatar Amiri Naval Forces (QENF) visited in India from 02-05 April 2019 and called on Chairman of Chief of Staff Committee (COSC), Defence Secretary and Vice Chief of Air Staff.

 

(ix) Indian Navy’s first Sail Training Ship (STS) INS Tarangini visited Doha Port from December 08-09, A six-member team from the Qatari Navy visited the ship on December 09 for a familiarization event and interacted with the Indian Navy officials.

 

Commercial & Investment Relations

 

14. India's bilateral trade with Qatar in 2023-24 was USD 14.08 billion. India’s export to Qatar during the period was USD 1.7 billion and India’s import from Qatar was USD 12.38 billion. Qatar’s key exports to India include LNG, LPG, chemicals and petrochemicals, fertilisers, plastics, and aluminium articles, while India’s key exports to Qatar include cereals, copper articles, iron and steel articles, vegetables, fruits, spices, processed food products, electrical and other machinery, plastic products, construction materials, textiles & garments, chemicals, precious stones and rubber. In 2023, India was among the top three largest export destinations for Qatar (China and South Korea being the other two) and is also among the top four sources of Qatar’s imports, along with USA, China and Italy.

 

15. Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for over 40% of India's global LNG imports. Besides LNG, India also imports ethylene, propylene, ammonia, urea and polyethylene from Qatar. Therefore, the balance of trade continues to be heavily in Qatar’s favour. However, there has been a substantial growth in India’s exports to Qatar in the last few years. Recently, Petronet LNG Ltd signed a long-term deal with QatarEnergy for supply of 7.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum starting from 2028 until 2048.

 

16. The Embassy has been organizing several meetings, including Virtual Buyer Seller Meets (VBSM) to promote Indian exports to Qatar. The focused sectors are engineering goods; gems & jewellery; food products; pharmaceutical, electronic goods; construction materials; tourism. Embassy has also been participating in high profile exhibitions like Agriteq exhibition (focused on agri, food, veterinary & environment industries), Project Qatar (focused on construction), Hospitality Qatar (focused on hospitality, food & beverage) and Qatar Travel Mart (focused on tourism) to show our expertise in these sectors. These exhibitions are held annually and there has been active participation of companies from India. Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) had organized an Indian Pavilion for the 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 (February 5-11) editions of Doha Jewellery & Gems Exhibition (DJWE). Embassy has been extending support to GJEPC by coordinating with the organizers of DJWE for better location & more space for the Indian Pavilion, and publicizing through Embassy’s social media handles. Embassy has been organizing other events, like celebrating National Tourism Day of India and State formation days to promote tourism to India.

 

17. In June 2022, during the Vice President of India’s visit to Qatar, India-Qatar Business Forum was organized and India-Qatar Start-up bridge was launched during the event.

 

18. Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to create more opportunities for accountants, promote entrepreneurship, and facilitate the setup of Indian firms in Qatar through collaborative initiatives.

 

19. International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), and Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA) formally exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in relation to cooperation in the presence of Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi at GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The MoU sets forth a statement of intent of the Authorities to establish a framework for mutual assistance and to facilitate the exchange of information between the Authorities for development, regulation and enforcing or ensuring compliance with their respective law or regulatory requirements.

 

20. Top 10 products imported and exported in FY 2023-24

 

(Value in USD millions)

Exported to Qatar

Imported from Qatar

Products

Value

Products

Value

Articles of Iron & Steel

200.18

LPG, LNG, Crude oil

11,009.06

Cereals

165.38

Organic Chemicals

388.53

Vehicles and parts thereof

109.55

Plastics

316.27

Nuclear Reactors, Boilers etc

106.40

Aluminium

159.55

Gems and Jewellery

99.37

Fertilisers

155.78

Ships, Boats, Floating Structures

73.64

Inorganic chemicals

114.79

Electrical Machinery and equipment

67.65

Misc. Chemical Products

80.68

Mineral Fuels

59.31

Gems and Jewellery

37.59

Plastics

51.20

Salt, Sulphur, Lime, Cement

26.86

Organic Chemicals

50.95

Ships, Boats and floating structures

20.66

21. According to Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), there are over 12000 big and small Indian companies operating in Qatar, wholly owned and Joint Venture. Indian companies are today pursuing collaborations in various sectors like infrastructure, communications and information technology, energy and other areas in Qatar.

 

22. Major Qatari investments in India since 2022:

 

(i) In February 2022, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced its financial support of USD 1.5 billion to the investment firm Bodhi Tree, which will invest in media and consumer technology opportunities in Southeast Asia, with particular focus on India.

  • In July 2022, Bodhi Tree Systems invested USD 600 million in Indian test prep business Allen Career Institute for 36% stake.
  • In April 2022, Bodhi Tree Systems along with a consortium of investors invested Rs 13,500 crore in Viacom 18.

 

(ii) In August 2023, INQ Holding LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of QIA, invested USD 1 billion in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., and also bought a 2.7% stake in Adani Green Energy for USD 474 million.

 

(iii) In September 2023, QIA invested USD 150 million in Indospace.

 

(iv)In November 2023, QIA invested USD 50 million in Global Dental Services, the parent company of Clove Dental, India's largest tech-enabled-dental-platform.

 

23. In January 2024, Qatar Energy awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract-package to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for a riser platform valued at about USD 1.3 billion towards the next development phase of the offshore Al Shaheen field aimed at boosting its production capacity by about 100,000 barrels of oil per day.

 

24. A Joint Task Force on Investment has been established between both the countries to facilitate investments, and also to explore Qatari investments in the entire energy value-chain in India. A Joint Business Council has been set-up between Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and Qatar Chamber of Commerce & Industry (QCCI). Over the years, many Indian and Qatari trade and commerce delegations have visited and participated in events in both the countries. A Joint Working Group (JWG) on Trade and Commerce has also been established to facilitate trade and commerce relations between both the sides.

 

25. Indian Business & Professionals Council (IBPC), consisting of Board of Governors and Executive Committee members, which function under the aegis of the Embassy, along with its affiliated Associated Organizations representing various business sectors and professionals, works in coordination with the Embassy to provide a platform for the promotion of trade and commerce between India and Qatar. It also serves as an interface for businesses and trade organizations to explore opportunities in India and Qatar, facilitating business and networking connections.

 

Cultural Relations

 

26. Cultural ties between India and Qatar are deep-rooted and actively nurtured by both sides. There are regular cultural exchanges between the two sides, under the provisions of the Agreement on Cultural Cooperation signed between the two sides in 2012. Qataris admire India's cultural diversity. The year 2019 was celebrated as India-Qatar Year of Culture. India was also one of the partner countries for Qatar-MENASA year of culture 2022. Recently, a three-days cultural festival, ‘Passage to India 2024 was held from 7-9 March 2024. The festival was also organized in 2022 and saw enthusiastic participation of the community in various events and activities.

 

27. “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” in Qatar was inaugurated on 26th March 2021 by Ambassador, with Khalid Bin Ibrahim Al–Hamar, Director of Asian Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar as Chief Guest. Various events in different fields were held regularly till August 2023. Over 75 cultural events including exhibitions, fashion shows, art displays, dance performances, musical concerts, etc. were organized in Qatar by the Embassy during 2023 with the cooperation of Ministry of Culture & Sports of Qatar, Qatar Museums, Katara Cultural Village, Qatar Posts, and Qatar Foundation.

 

28. International year of Millet was celebrated in Qatar and Mission in collaboration with various community organizations organized events with special focus on millet.

 

29. Yoga: Qatar, as a co-sponsor, supported Resolution at the UNGA, adopted unanimously with a record 177 co-sponsors, declaring 21 June as the International Day of Yoga (IDY). A commemorative stamp to mark the occasion was also released by Qatar Post in June 2015. International Day of Yoga is being celebrated every year attended by large number of yoga enthusiasts. The 7th International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2021 was celebrated in 6 locations simultaneously in Qatar from beaches of Dukhan to sand dunes of Mesaed, iconic FIFA stadium in Al Khor, Museum of Islamic Art and Corniche in Doha. In March 2022, Indian Sports Centre (working under the aegis of Indian Embassy) made it to Guinness World Record for conducting a Yoga lesson for maximum number of nationalities (114).

 

30. Ayurveda: Qatar has allowed the practice of complementary medicine, including Ayurveda. A 2-member delegation from the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India, visited Doha from 09-10 September 2019 and held discussions with the officials at Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health on establishment of legal framework in Qatar for practice of Ayurveda. On the margins of the visit, a business event was organized to spread awareness about the prospects of cooperation in the field of complementary medicine.

 

Indian Community

 

31. Over 835,000 strong and vibrant Indian community in Qatar is testament to the close people-to-people ties that continue to nurture the cultural bonds between the two countries. Qatar is second home to these Indians and the closeness of both countries was clearly visible in the celebration by the community of Qatar’s victory in AFC 2023 as well as the pride in the community on Qatar’s great success in hosting FIFA 2022. Indians comprise the largest expatriate community in Qatar and are engaged in a wide spectrum of professions including medicine; engineering; education, finance; banking; business; and media apart from a large number of blue-collared workers. They are highly regarded for their honesty, hard work, qualifications and contribution to the development and progress of Qatar.

 

32. The Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), an umbrella community organisation of Indian socio-cultural associations in Qatar, functioning under the aegis of Embassy of India, Doha, undertakes a number of cultural and other activities with Mission’s guidance, support and cooperation.

 

33. The Indian Sports Centre (ISC) is a community based organization working under the aegis of the Embassy of India, formed exclusively to focus on all aspects relating to the promotion of various sports and games, not only amongst the Indian community, but also amongst other expatriate communities. ISC also aims to support Qatar in hosting various national and international sporting events in a sustained manner.

 

34. The Indian Community Benevolent Forum (ICBF) is another community based forum working under the aegis of Embassy of India which undertakes various welfare measures to provide assistance to the workforce of the community.  Indian Embassy organises consular camps at different places in Qatar with the assistance of ICBF.

 

Education

 

35. Currently there are over 50,000 Indian students studying in 19 Indian schools, with 28 branches, (11 of them providing education upto senior secondary level) and a few in international schools all over Qatar. There are approx. 4500 faculty and non-faculty in the Indian Schools itself. There are some students of Indian nationality studying in universities in Qatar. There is one Indian University in Qatar.

 

36. Milestone International Education (MIE) - Savitribai Phule Pune University (MIE-SPPU) started started functioning in Qatar since September 2021. MIE-SPPU is offering graduate level and post-graduate level courses.

 

****

(03 June 2024)

 

Useful Resources

The links for Embassy of India, Doha are given below:

Embassy Website

:

www.indianembassyqatar.gov.in   

Twitter Handle

:

https://twitter.com/IndEmbDoha 

Facebook Page

:

https://www.facebook.com/IndianEmbassyQatar   

Instagram Page

:

https://www.instagram.com/indiainqatar/

Youtube Account

:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7VqFifmCM2oZcNOMX85TaA 

 

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