India & Qatar sign 5 MoUs & 2 Agreement during Al Thani’s visit

India and Qatar signed five memorandums of understanding (MoU) and two agreements during the state visit of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, to India on 17 & 18 February 2025. 

Both the countries agreed to elevate their relationship to a ‘Strategic Level’. Qatar is the fifth country in the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), with which India has a strategic partnership, the other being Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Kuwait.

The India-Qatar Joint Business Forum meeting was held in New Delhi on 18 February 2025 on the sidelines of the Emir’s visit to India. The meeting explored opportunities to increase business ties between the two countries.

Qatar is India's single largest source of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for India.

5 MoUs and 2 Agreements to bolster India- Qatar Ties 

This was the second visit of Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to India. He earlier visited India in 2015.

Signifying the importance of his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Dr S.Jaishnakar were at the airport in New Delhi to receive him.

During his visit to India, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani met Indian President Droupadi Murmu and held a discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Five MoUs and 2 agreements were signed between India and Qatar.

Agreements 

• Establishment of a bilateral Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
• Agreement on revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) and Prevention of Fiscal Evasion concerning Taxes on Income.

Five MoUs

• Financial and Economic Cooperation. 
• Cooperation in the field of Youth and Sports between the two 
• Cooperation in the field of Documents and Archives.
• Cooperation between Invest India and Invest Qatar.
• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Qatar Business Association to promote business relationships.

Other Important Decision taken during the Visit 

After the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, a joint statement was issued by both countries.

The Main points of the Joint statements are as follows.

• Elevated the existing India-Qatar Joint Working Group on Trade and Commerce into a Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce. The Commerce Ministers of the respective countries will head it.
• A Joint Ministerial Commission at the Foreign Minister's level will be set up.

Trade and Investment

• Qatar has agreed to invest USD 10 billion in India 
• The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will open an office to promote Qatari investment in India.
• To double bilateral trade by 2030. In 2023-24, the total trade was USD 14.08 billion, with Indian exports to Qatar being $1.7 billion and imports at $12.3 billion.
• Both sides will work for an India-Qatar Free Trade Agreement.
• Operationalisation of India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) at Qatar National Bank (QNB) Point of Sales in Qatar.
• Qatar National Bank will set up an office in GIFT (Gujarat International Financial-Tech) city.
• Qatari nationals to get the Indian e-Visa facility.

India-Qatar Joint Business Forum Meeting 

During Sheikh Al Thani’s visit to India, the India—Qatar Joint Business Forum Meeting was held in New Delhi on the sidelines of 18 February 2025.

Organiser

The Confederation of Indian Industry organised the Business Forum meeting with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

The meeting was addressed by Piyush Goyal, the Union Minister for Commerce and Industry, and Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, the Minister of Commerce and Industry of the State of Qatar.

Two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed during the event:

• Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Qatar Business Association to promote business relationships.
• Invest India and Invest Qatar. 

Invest India was set up in 2009 by the Union Ministry of Commerce with the Business Association in India to promote India as a trade destination and foreign investment destination and help foreign investors in India.

About Qatar

Qatar is an Islamic Arab Kingdom in the Arabian peninsula along the Persian Gulf.

It is one of the largest exporters of natural gas in the world.

It is the largest supplier of liquified natural gas to india.

Capital: Doha 

Currency: Qatari Riyal 

Head of the State: Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani

Know about Gulf Cooperation Council