Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Qatar on Wednesday evening to a warm welcome after winding up his two-day whirlwind UAE tour. This is the prime minister's second visit to Qatar, the first being in June 2016.
In Doha, the Prime Minister will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Thursday to boost historically warm ties between both countries.
On arrival, Modi was received by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi at the airport. Hundreds of Indians gathered to welcome the Prime Minister. Modi later thanked the Indian diaspora in Doha for the exceptional welcome. "An exceptional welcome in Doha! Grateful to the Indian diaspora," he said on X and shared pictures of him being greeted by an enthusiastic Indian diaspora.
Modi, in his departure statement, also said the presence of over 8,00,000-strong Indian community in Doha is a testament to our strong people-to-people ties.
An exceptional welcome in Doha! Grateful to the Indian diaspora. pic.twitter.com/malGuS3jFW
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 14, 2024
The Prime Minister also met with Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani here and discussed ways to strengthen ties between the two countries. "Had a wonderful meeting with PM @MBA_AlThani. Our discussions revolved around ways to boost India-Qatar friendship," Modi said in a post on X after the meeting.
The Ministry of External Affairs said the Prime Minister's discussions covered expanding bilateral cooperation in sectors such as trade and investment, energy, and finance among others. Modi also attended a dinner hosted in his honour by Qatar's prime minister.
On Thursday, the prime minister will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and hold talks on bilateral as well as regional and global issues, the ministry said in a press release.
Interestingly, the Prime Minister's visit comes just days after seven out of eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel returned home, nearly three-and-half months after a Qatari court handed them a death sentence that was subsequently commuted to jail terms ranging from three to 25 years.
The MEA had announced Modi's visit to the Qatari capital just hours after the Indians were released.
