EAM Jaishankar to pay 3-day visit to Qatar to review overall bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is set to go on a three-day official visit to the State of Qatar from December 30, the Ministry of External Affairs stated on Sunday.

In an official statement, the MEA stated that during his visit, EAM would meet with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

The visit also aims to review various aspects of bilateral relations between India and Qatar with discussion on key areas, which include political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural, and people-to-people relations.

" EAM's 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," the MEA stated.

Jaishankar will depart from Qatar on January 1.

India and Qatar share warm and friendly relations, marked by regular high-level interactions to further strengthen their partnership.

Their most recent interaction occurred during Jaishankar's official tour to Qatar and Bahrain from December 6 to 9. During the visit, he met Qatar's Minister of Commerce and Industry, Faisal bin Thani Al Thani, and Minister of State, Ahmed Al Sayed, on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.

In late October, the two countries held the fifth round of Foreign Office Consultations. Both sides comprehensively reviewed the entire spectrum of India-Qatar bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, trade, investment, energy, education, culture, and people-to-people ties.

Discussions also explored avenues to deepen the relationship in areas such as renewable energy, fintech, start-ups, and technology. They exchanged perspectives on important regional and global issues of mutual interest, as noted by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a press release.

Earlier, on September 9, Jaishankar met Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Saudi Arabia to discuss advancing bilateral ties.

According to the MEA, cooperation between India and Qatar has been steadily growing within an excellent framework provided by their historically close ties and regular, substantive engagement at the highest levels of government. The large, diverse, and accomplished Indian community in Qatar significantly contributes to the country's progress while nurturing the bonds of deep-rooted friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two nations.