Jaishankar to visit Qatar today; energy, trade on agenda

The trade and energy ties between India and Qatar are on an upswing as Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for over 48% of India’s global LNG imports.

This is Jaishankar’s third foreign visit after he assumed charge as a minister for the second time. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

A week after his visit to the United Arab Emirates, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will head to Qatar Sunday, where he will meet Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, a Ministry of External Affairs statement said.

Announcing the visit Saturday, the statement said the visit “will enable both sides to review various aspects of bilateral relations including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural and people-to-people as well as the regional and international issues of mutual interest”.

It is expected that the two leaders would also discuss the overall situation in Gaza.

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The trade and energy ties between India and Qatar are on an upswing as Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, accounting for over 48% of India’s global LNG imports.

This is Jaishankar’s third foreign visit after he assumed charge as a minister for the second time.

Last week, Jaishankar had made two visits to Sri Lanka and the UAE, underlining the importance the government accords to its neighbourhood. The Gulf region hosts the largest diaspora population, where India also holds key strategic and economic interests.

Also Read | Jaishankar unveils Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Qatar from February 14-15 this year and held talks with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

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“India and Qatar share historic and friendly relations which are marked by regular exchange of high-level visits,” the MEA said in a statement.

Modi’s visit had come after Qatar freed eight former Indian Navy men who were sentenced to death after being arrested in August 2022 on espionage charges. Of them, seven have returned to India.

In December last year, Modi had met the Qatari Emir on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai and discussed the “well-being of the Indian community” in Qatar.

Divya A

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More

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