India holds 5th Foreign Office Consultations with Qatar

Doha: India and Qatar held the 5th Round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) on Sunday in Doha, a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The FOC was co-chaired by Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs, and Ahmad Hassen Al-Hammadi, Secretary General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the State of Qatar.

During the FOCs, both sides comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of India-Qatar bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, trade, investment, energy, education, culture and people-to-people ties. The two sides also discussed avenues to deepen the bilateral relationship in areas such as renewable energy, fin-tech, start-ups and technology.

They also exchanged perspectives on important regional and global issues of mutual interest, as per the statement.

India and Qatar share close historical and multifaceted relations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Qatar in February 2024 and met with Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar visited Doha on June 30 and held talks with Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, as per the statement.

Bilateral trade between India and Qatar stands at about USD 14 billion per annum and mutual investments between the two countries have continued to increase. Both sides also share a strong partnership in the energy sector.

The presence of a large Indian community in Qatar is a testament to the strong people-to-people ties.

The discussions held will contribute towards further strengthening of the India-Qatar bilateral partnership, the statement said.

Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi at a mutually convenient date, the statement added.

The Indian Embassy in Doha said in a post on X, "Consular, Passport and Visa Division and Overseas Indian Affairs and Qatar's Secretary General, MoFA HE Ahmad Hassen Al Hammadi co-chaired 5th FOCs between India and Qatar in Doha today. Both sides reviewed all aspects of strong and multifaceted bilateral ties. They also exchanged views on regional & global issues of mutual interest."