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India and Qatar Strategic Partnership
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In a significant diplomatic move, India and Qatar signed an agreement upgrading their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership.
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- The agreement, signed during the visit of Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani to India, signals a deepening of ties in trade, investment, energy, security, and regional cooperation.
- Officials from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that both nations are also exploring the possibility of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to further enhance economic cooperation.
Strengthening India-Qatar Relations
- The agreement brings Qatar in line with Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, with whom India has already established strategic partnerships.
- Alongside this, India and Qatar signed a double taxation avoidance treaty, aimed at fostering investment and easing financial transactions between businesses in both countries.
Discussion on West Asia and Israel-Palestine Conflict
- The leaders also discussed pressing geopolitical issues, particularly the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza.
- The MEA confirmed that both sides conveyed their respective positions on the Israel-Hamas issue, with India reiterating its longstanding support for a two-state solution.
- The visit is particularly significant as it comes just two days before the five-state Arab summit in Riyadh, where U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to present a proposal concerning Gaza.
- The proposal, which suggests relocating Palestinian populations to neighboring Egypt and Jordan, has been met with criticism, with some terming it “ethnic cleansing.”
- India has not yet stated its position on this controversial plan, and MEA officials refrained from commenting on it.
Boosting Trade and Investment
- A key highlight of the visit was a Joint Business Forum, where 38 Qatari entities from retail, food processing, hospitality, finance, and energy sectors participated in discussions with their Indian counterparts.
- Both sides agreed on an ambitious target to double bilateral trade to $28 billion in the coming years.
- India and Qatar are also considering a bilateral FTA, even as negotiations continue for a broader India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) FTA.
- The move reflects India’s strategy of deepening trade relations with Gulf nations, which are crucial partners in energy and investment flows.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic alliance comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It was established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 1981.
Indian Nationals in Qatar
- The visit also addressed ongoing legal issues involving Indian nationals in Qatar.
- MEA officials acknowledged that around 600 Indians are currently imprisoned in Qatar, with 85 individuals receiving pardons in 2024 under Qatar’s clemency provisions.
- A particularly sensitive issue remains the continued detention of former Indian Navy officer Commander Purnendu Tiwary.
- While seven other Indian Navy veterans, detained in the same case in 2022, were repatriated in February 2024, Commander Tiwary’s case remains subjudice in Qatari courts.
- His release is a matter of ongoing diplomatic engagement, and the seven released officers have reportedly appealed to Qatari authorities for his repatriation.
The elevation of India-Qatar ties to a strategic partnership marks a significant milestone in their bilateral engagement. With expanded trade and investment goals, cooperation in security and energy, and a possible FTA on the horizon, both countries are poised for a stronger economic and diplomatic relationship.
