Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani arrived in New Delhi on December 2, 2016 on a two day visit to India to hold discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of common interest.
- This is the first visit of Sheikh Abdullah to India and the third high-level bilateral engagement between the two countries in the past two years, which underlines India’s growing ties with Qatar.
- In March 2015, the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, visited India followed by visit of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Qatar in June 2016.
During the visit, India and Qatar signed 5 agreements in areas such as visas, cyberspace and investments.
About the Agreements
1.Visa :
i.An agreement was signed that allows holders of diplomatic, special and official passports of the two countries, visa-free travel between the two countries.
ii.A letter of intent was also signed that allows for negotiations on an agreement on grant of e-visa to businessmen and tourists of the two countries.
2.Cyberspace
i.A protocol on technical cooperation in cyber space and combating cyber crime was signed between the Ministry of Home Affairs of India and the Ministry of Interior of Qatar.
ii.The protocol adds an important dimension of bilateral technical cooperation in cyberspace and combating cyber crime to the existing framework agreement in the field of security signed on 10 November 2008.
3.Investment
i.A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy of Qatar and Confederation of Indian Industry.
ii.The MoU will provide a framework for project experts for Indian companies in Qatar, including participation in infrastructure projects in Qatar undertaken for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
4.Another MoU was signed for encouraging greater collaboration and exchange in the field of national ports management.
India Will Train Qatar’s Police for FIFA World Cup 2022
During a meeting between Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, India on December 3, 2016, India agreed to train Qatars police for the FIFA World Cup 2022.
- The Prime Minister, who also holds the Interior Ministry portfolio, invited the Home Minister of India to Qatar to strengthen bilateral security cooperation to help Qatar to host the FIFA World Cup 2022.
- A delegation from the Interior Ministry of Qatar will visit India to study different aspects of security cooperation and a team of officers will visit later for the exchange of information regarding security between the two countries.
- During the meeting, India and Qatar also agreed for defence cooperation between the two countries for which the Defence Minister of Qatar will visit India very soon. The Qatari Prime Minister also desired the cooperation between the two countries to be extended even to the field of defence equipment.
- The two leaders also discussed the facilitation of opening Indian community schools in Qatar.
- The bilateral cooperation in the field of food security was also discussed in detail by the two leaders. He also offered priority assistance to Indian food companies for promotion of their activities in Qatar.
About Qatar
Qatar is a peninsular Arab country comprising of arid desert and a long Persian (Arab) Gulf and known for its futuristic skyscrapers and ultramodern architecture inspired by ancient Islamic design, such as the limestone Museum of Islamic Art.
- Qatar is an important trading partner for India in the Gulf as well as the largest supplier of LNG to the country, accounting for 66 per cent of our total imports in 2015-16.
- Indians form the largest expatriate community in Qatar. There are over 630,000 Indian nationals working in Qatar.
- Capital: Doha
- Currency: Qatari riyal
