New Delhi, Feb 17 (UNI) In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Qatar Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani at the airport on Monday evening, and the two leaders exchanged warm hugs.
The MEA spokesperson said in a post on X:
“A special gesture for a special friend!
“PM @narendramodi welcomed HH Sheikh @TamimbinHamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, at the airport, as he arrived in New Delhi on his second State visit to India.
“The visit will further strengthen the bonds of India-Qatar partnership.”
Qatari Ambassador in New Delhi Mohammed bin Hassan Al Jaber and Indian Ambassador in Doha Vipul were also present at the airport.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is to call on the Qatar Amir at the Hotel Leela Palace later in the evening.
On Tuesday morning, the Qatar Amir will be accorded a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Qatar Amir and PM Modi will hold bilateral talks at Hyderabad House at noon, which will be followed by the exchange of MoUs.
In the evening, there will be a meeting between the Qatar Amir and President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He departs later at night.
The Amir of Qatar is on a two-day State Visit to India from February 17-18 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi.
He is accompanied by Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and an official delegation.
This is his second visit to India. He had earlier come to India on a State Visit in March 2015.
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 said.
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.
According to the India-Qatar Joint Business Council, the bilateral trade between India and Qatar stood at over USD 14 billion during the last financial year.
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. The India-Qatar Joint Business Council has 19 top businessmen from each country.
UNI RN