India and Qatar have elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership and set a target to double investment within the next five years.
Qatari Amir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani is on a two-day visit to India, during which he held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Talks focused on trade, investment, and energy cooperation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Bilateral trade between the two nations currently stands at $14.08 billion, and both sides are committed to doubling this figure. India’s engagement with Qatar extends beyond liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), as New Delhi aims to position the partnership on par with its existing strategic ties with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait.
India is also exploring a potential free trade agreement (FTA) with Qatar, while separately negotiating an FTA with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which includes six key oil-rich nations.
The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has invested $1.5 billion in India across multiple sectors, including retail, power, IT, education, healthcare, and housing. Both nations have identified further investment opportunities in infrastructure, ports, shipbuilding, renewable energy, smart cities, food parks, startups, and emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and machine learning. A joint business forum held during the visit emphasized raising bilateral investments.
Several agreements were signed, including a revised double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) and partnerships in economic cooperation, archives and documentation, youth affairs, and sports. “Invest India” signed an MoU with its Qatari counterpart to enhance investment collaboration.
On the issue of Indians imprisoned in Qatar, the MEA confirmed that around 600 Indians are currently behind bars. Last year, 85 Indians were granted pardons by Qatari authorities. While eight former Indian Navy officers were convicted of espionage in 2023, their death sentences were later commuted. Seven have since been released, but one remains in Qatar. A pending agreement for the transfer of sentenced individuals is awaiting Qatari ratification.
Discussions also covered global geopolitical concerns, including the Gaza conflict and the situation in Afghanistan.
