“India and Qatar have historically close and friendly relations,” Prime Minister Modi said.
New Delhi:
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday ahead of his visit to Doha that India and Qatar have historically close and friendly relations, and the multifaceted relations between the two countries have been deepening in recent years.
Prime Minister Modi said he looked forward to meeting Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “under whose leadership Qatar continues to witness tremendous growth and transformation”.
The Prime Minister stated this in his departure statement ahead of a two-state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to leave for Doha on Wednesday afternoon after concluding his two-day visit to the UAE.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced his visit to the Qatari capital on Monday, hours after seven of eight jailed former Indian navy personnel returned home, nearly three-and-a-half months after a Qatari court sentenced them to death and later commuted their sentences to jail terms. It ranges from 3 years to 25 years.
Qatar has released all eight Indians. The former Indian navy personnel apparently face espionage charges, but neither Qatari authorities nor New Delhi have made the charges against them public.
Prime Minister Modi will visit Qatar from February 14 to 15. This will be his second visit to the country as Prime Minister.
“India and Qatar have historically close and friendly relations,” Prime Minister Modi said.
In recent years, the relationship between the two countries has continued to deepen in various fields such as high-level political exchanges, growing trade and investment, strengthening energy partnership, and cultural and educational cooperation.
The prime minister said Doha’s over 800,000-strong Indian community “is a testament to our strong people-to-people ties”. In addition to holding talks with the emir, Modi is also scheduled to meet other senior dignitaries in Qatar.
In his statement, Prime Minister Modi said he looked forward to further advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the UAE.
“Over the past nine years, our cooperation with the UAE has grown manifold in various areas including trade and investment, defense and security, food and energy security, and education. Our cultures and people are more connected than ever before. It’s all closer now,” he said.
“I look forward to meeting UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi and having wide-ranging discussions on advancing our comprehensive strategic partnership,” Prime Minister Modi said.
Strengthening cooperation in areas such as energy, ports, fintech, digital infrastructure, railways and investment flows will be a focus of talks between the two leaders on Tuesday.
The two sides are likely to sign multiple agreements to strengthen cooperation in several key areas.
In Abu Dhabi, Modi will also inaugurate the city’s first Hindu temple.
“I will also inaugurate the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi. The BAPS temple will be a lasting tribute to the values of harmony, peace and tolerance shared by India and the UAE,” the Prime Minister said.
“I will be addressing members of the Indian community from all emirates of the UAE at a special event in Abu Dhabi,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi will also meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the UAE.
“I will address a gathering of world leaders at the World Government Summit in Dubai on February 14,” Prime Minister Modi said.
He added that my discussions with Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid on the sidelines of the summit will focus on strengthening our multifaceted relationship with Dubai.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
