India, Qatar sign seven agreements to strengthen ties

Published June 5, 2016
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al -Thani, front right, receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al -Thani, front right, receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP

DUBAI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid his first official visit to gas-rich Qatar where he met the Gulf country's leaders on Sunday to discuss economic ties.

Indian Ministry of External Affairs's Twitter Page, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP
Indian Ministry of External Affairs's Twitter Page, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP

Modi and Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who visited India in March 2015, signed seven agreements to strengthen ties, according to the official Twitter account of India's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Vikas Swarup.

Modi also met Qatari businessmen and encouraged them to invest more in India, calling it "a land of opportunity".

Qatar is one of the world's largest suppliers of liquefied natural gas. Qatari media says it supplies India with more than 85 per cent of its gas needs.

The Indian Embassy says bilateral trade reached $15.7 billion in 2014- 2015, though just around $1bn of that constituted Indian exports to Qatar. Since 2010, India has been purchasing 7.5 million tons of LNG every year from Qatar.

Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, right, receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP
Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, right, receives Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in Doha, Qatar. ─ AP

The Qatar Investment Authority has several large-scale investments in India, including a more than $1bn stake in telecommunications company Bharati Airtel.

Qatar Airways has expressed interest in expanding its routes to India and in buying a stake in budget airline IndiGo.

Modi arrived on Saturday and met with Indian labourers that evening, telling them he is aware of the conditions they face in Qatar. Modi, who is active on Twitter, posted photos of himself dining and chatting with the workers.

"If you have some issues on changing some rules and regulations, I will work with you all to bring about these changes," Modi told the workers.

There are more than a half-million Indians living in Qatar, many working lower paying construction jobs and building stadiums that will host the 2022 World Cup. Foreigners account for roughly 90pc of the 2.5m people living in Qatar.

An Amnesty International report this year found that migrant labourers face abuse that in some cases amounts to forced labour.

The report said workers reported living in squalid conditions, salary payments being withheld for months and having their passports confiscated by sponsoring employees.

Opinion

Editorial

Deadlocked
Updated 19 Apr, 2025

Deadlocked

Politicians’ refusal to talk to each other and resolve issues has created space for a different type of rulership to take over.
Trump vs Harvard
19 Apr, 2025

Trump vs Harvard

AMONGST the ‘enemies of the people’ in Trumpian America are elite universities seen as the bastions of liberal...
External account stability
19 Apr, 2025

External account stability

DRIVEN by a major spike in workers’ remittances last month, the country’s current account posted a record ...
Paying the price
Updated 18 Apr, 2025

Paying the price

Pakistan is trapped in a relentless cycle of climate volatility.
Political solution
18 Apr, 2025

Political solution

THOUGH the BNP-M may have ended its 20-day protest sit-in outside Quetta on Wednesday, the core issues affecting...
Grave desecration
18 Apr, 2025

Grave desecration

THE desecration of 85 Muslim graves at a cemetery in Hertfordshire in the UK is a distressing act that deserves the...