PM Modi holds talks with Qatar Emir; thanks for release of 8 imprisoned Indians

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday thanked Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for freeing eight Indians previously on death row despite the two countries’ leaders They held extensive talks and laid the foundation for elevating bilateral relations to a higher level. Especially in the areas of investment, energy and new technologies.

After talks at the Qatari capital’s majestic Amiri Palace, Modi called his meeting with the emir “great” and said bilateral relations were “getting stronger” and both countries looked forward to cooperation in future areas. Benefit the planet.

Modi arrived here from the United Arab Emirates last night on his second visit to Qatar. A few days ago, Doha released the Indians, much to New Delhi’s relief.

Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra told a media briefing that the talks will focus on expanding cooperation in key areas, strengthening consensus on regional issues, reviewing partnerships with third countries and looking at the overall relationship from a strategic rather than transactional perspective. .

The two leaders also spoke about the need for strategic investments and strategic partnerships in the energy sector, as well as buy-sell relationships that extend beyond this sector. Prime Minister Modi also thanked the Emir for his support for the welfare of the Indian community in the Gulf country, he said.

The Prime Minister thanked the Emir for his support for the welfare of the Indian community and expressed his deep appreciation to the Emir for releasing eight Indian citizens from Al-Dahra Company in this regard. We are very happy to see them back in India,” Kwatra said.

Eight Indians returned to India on Monday after Qatar released them. On October 26, the Qatar Court of First Instance sentenced the two navy veterans to death. The Gulf state’s appeals court commuted their sentences on December 28 and sentenced them to varying terms of imprisonment.

The former Indian navy personnel apparently face espionage charges, but neither Qatari authorities nor New Delhi have made the charges against them public. Kwatra said Modi’s “very successful visit” laid the foundation for taking relations to a higher level in a range of areas and exploring cooperation in new areas such as space, technology and innovation.

“Had an excellent meeting with His Highness Sheikh @TamimBinHamad. We reviewed the all-round relationship between India and Qatar and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in various fields. Our two countries also look forward to cooperating in future areas that will benefit us planet,” Modi said on “X”. My visit to Qatar has added new vitality to the friendship between India and Qatar. India looks forward to expanding cooperation in key areas such as trade, investment, science and technology, and culture. I would like to thank the government and people of Qatar for their warm reception. “

“India and Qatar’s ties are getting stronger!” Modi said in another post, along with a photo of the welcome ceremony he received in Doha. Modi arrived at Amiri Palace this morning and received a grand welcome. Subsequently, the two sides held delegation-level and restricted talks.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the discussions between Modi and Hamad covered a wide range of topics including economic cooperation, investment, energy partnership, space cooperation, urban infrastructure, cultural ties and people-to-people ties. Views were also exchanged on regional and global issues. It is understood that the meeting focused on the situation in Gaza.

The Prime Minister thanked the Emir for taking care of the over eight-lakh Indian community in Qatar and conveyed India’s commitment to further expand and deepen bilateral cooperation with Qatar. He invited Amir to visit India as soon as possible. “MEA said in a statement. The report said that the Emir echoed Modi’s views and expressed appreciation for India’s role as an important partner in the Gulf region.

The Emir also appreciated the vibrant Indian community for its contribution to the development of Qatar and their enthusiastic participation in various international events held in Qatar, the MEA said. After the talks, a banquet lunch was held for Modi at Amiri Palace.

In his speech, Quatra said that the prime minister’s visit to Qatar will focus on consolidating the broad partnership in different areas of economic cooperation and building on the results of his 2016 visit to the country, focusing on what the two countries can achieve in the future. He said that the two sides have strong energy security and partnership, but the current effort is to look at cooperation from a strategic perspective, including renewable energy, green energy, clean energy supply chain, technology and innovation in the energy field, not just the energy field Cooperation. Pure energy trading.

Quatra said the goal is to expand the trade basket and establish new trade markets with regional trade in mind. Quatra said that Modi also met with the Emir, the founding father of Qatar, and congratulated him on his visionary leadership, which paved the way for Qatar’s development in the past few decades and laid a solid foundation for the Indo-Qatar partnership.

Quatra said Fr Amir affirmed that India and Qatar share an unwavering bond that is reflected in mutual trust and cooperation. Fr Amir also appreciated the role played by the Indian community in developing and nourishing the bilateral partnership.

Modi met Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani shortly after arriving in Doha last night. Abdulrahman is also Qatar’s foreign minister. Trade and energy ties between India and Qatar are on the rise.

Qatar is India’s largest LNG supplier, accounting for more than 48% of India’s global LNG imports. India’s Petronet has renewed a contract to buy 7.5 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year from Qatar for 20 years starting in 2029 in what has been described as the world’s largest-ever ultra-cold fuel extension project.

The initial 25-year agreement was signed in 1999, with supply starting in 2004. Cooperation between India and Qatar has grown steadily in various fields over the past few years.

In June 2016, Prime Minister Modi visited Doha for the first time. This visit provides an opportunity for the highest-level contacts between the two sides and injects new impetus into bilateral relations. This is India’s highest-level visit to Qatar since then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Qatar in November 2008.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)