Marking his 2nd State Visit to India, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, is in India for two days. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally received Sheikh Tamim at the Air Force Station in Palam. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) followed it up with a post stating, “A special gesture for a special friend! PM Modi welcomed HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir 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 the India-Qatar partnership.”
A grand ceremonial welcome was arranged for the Sheikh at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday, 18th February 2025. This is the Emir’s 2nd official visit to India on invitation by PM Modi, and the warm gestures reveal the deep and long-standing relationship between the two countries. Following the welcoming ceremony, Sheikh Tamim and President Droupadi Murmu introduced and greeted each other’s delegation.
The Emir held discussions with PM Modi at Hyderabad House at noon. Extending their mutual areas of interest, the two leaders, accompanied by their business delegations, released major economic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). In the evening, the Sheikh is set to meet President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan, to attend a banquet arranged in his honour.
The ties between Qatar and India have continued to foster- particularly in areas of trade, energy, culture, and investment. At the Joint Business Forum happening on the sidelines of this visit, Qatar’s Commerce and Industry Minister Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani stated that India is currently its 3rd largest trading partner. Qatar is ready to welcome fresh investment opportunities with India and speed up the negotiations for a new Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (BIPPA) for the same. Two MoUs have been signed at the event – one between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA); the other between Invest Qatar and Invest India.
While energy has been a major component in trade between India and Qatar, both countries are now seeking to expand that partnership by bringing in more discussions on manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Indian businesses play a pivotal role in Qatar to bolster the ties between the two nations. This economic push promises to drive more Indian businesses to invest in Qatar as a potential platform. For instance, KLJ Organic Qatar WLL is a successful joint venture between KLJ Organic Ltd. India and the Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company (QIMC), manufacturing Caustic Soda Lye and Prills, Chlorinated Paraffin, and Hydrochloric Acid among other products. Similarly, United Chemicals WLL is a partnership venture between KLJ Organic Qatar WLL and the Gulf Chlorine WLL, manufacturing products like Calcium Chloride Prills and Hydrochloric Acid.
The Emir’s visit to India is therefore calling in a new era of collaboration, with stronger trade partnerships and increased number of investments. The next few years will be crucial in developing and altering Qatar-India relations to an even more lucrative one with diversified sectors operating the economy between the two nations.