Qatar and India share decades-long strategic relations based on mutual interests, trust, respect, and fruitful co-operation, with both nations keen to propel these relations to new heights that meet the two peoples’ aspirations.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s visit to India comes at a pivotal moment aligning with his keen interest to expand Qatar’s strategic relations with various active political and economic powers worldwide.
During this visit, His Highness the Amir will hold talks with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and several senior Indian government officials on bilateral relations and ways to foster them in line with both countries’ mutual interests.
The talks will also explore further areas of economic and investment co-operation, including renewable energy, financial technology, artificial intelligence, and innovation, all while supporting the countries’ economic plans, projects, and programmes. The deliberations will also cover multiple regional and international issues of common concern.
The visit is of particular importance, given the distinguished roles both countries play on the regional and international fronts, as well as their massive economic potentials, which promise further growth and prosperity in their bilateral relations across various fields.
The two countries established their diplomatic relations in the early 1970s, with Qatar appointing its first charge d’affaires to India on January 23, 1973, and the first ambassador in New Delhi on May 29, 1974. The two nations celebrated in 2023 the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties, which have evolved over five decades to form a multifaceted relationship encompassing political communications, energy co-operation, economic, cultural, and educational exchanges.
The Qatar-India relations have been remarkably evolving, particularly following His Highness the Amir’s state visit to India in March 2015, which gave a strong impetus to bilateral ties and laid the foundation for a new phase of relations. The discussions during this visit led to the signing of several agreements and resulted in a joint statement expressing satisfaction with the current state of bilateral relations, which are further strengthened by regular high-level visits.
Both sides praised effective institutional mechanisms in trade, investment, energy, defence, and labour, and emphasised the need to continue holding regular joint working group meetings to enhance co-operation. As a result, the two sides agreed to form a high-level strategic committee to co-ordinate between them on co-operation areas as well as regional and global issues of shared interest.
Furthermore, both sides agreed to increase high-level bilateral visits in political, defence, security, trade, and economic relations, and to strengthen people-to-people ties. They emphasised the importance of building a strong partnership to meet their commitments toward promoting peace, stability, and security in the region and the world in the 21st century.
His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani made three official visits to India in 1999, 2005 and 2012, having contributed to further strengthening bilateral relations. These visits covered a range of issues including trade, energy, infrastructure, defence, and investment opportunities in both countries.
On the Indian side, Prime Minister Modi made an official visit to Qatar in June 2016, followed by a second visit to Doha in February 2024. During these visits, His Highness the Amir and Modi held official talks on areas of co-operation, particularly in the economic, investment, development, and energy sectors, and exchanged views on major regional and international issues of mutual interest.
HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani also discussed with Modi the strong ties between the two countries and ways to further strengthen them, particularly in energy, trade, and investment.
As part of the political co-ordination between the two nations, the fifth round of political consultations between the foreign ministries of Qatar and India was held in Doha in October 2024, with both sides having deliberated bilateral co-operation and various shared issues of interest.
Economically, India is Qatar’s second-largest trading partner, with more than 20,000 Indian SMEs operating in Qatar. These companies include both fully owned enterprises and joint venture companies. Trade and economic co-operation, along with mutual investments, form the cornerstone of the growing commercial ties between the two nations.
The average trade exchange between the two countries has reached about $16bn annually in recent years, with Qatari energy exports to India constituting a significant portion of this exchange. Qatar is a vital partner in India’s energy security, providing around 45% of India’s LNG imports.
On January 25, the 20th anniversary of the first Qatari LNG shipment to India’s Petronet terminal was celebrated, and on Feb 4, the 2,000th LNG shipment from Qatar was delivered, marking a significant milestone in the strong energy partnership between the two nations.
Last week, HE the Minister of State for Energy Affairs and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi held talks on enhancing bilateral energy co-operation with senior executives from major Indian energy companies, on the sidelines of the India Energy Week 2025 in New Delhi.
Last year, the first meeting of the joint trade working group between Qatar and India took place in Doha, with participation from various government entities aimed at strengthening bilateral commercial and economic relations. A Ministry of Commerce and Industry statement said the meeting focused on opportunities for collaboration in vital sectors such as industry, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agriculture, and food security, and discussed ways to empower the private sector to take advantage of investment opportunities in both countries.
Qatar, believing in the abundant investment opportunities within the Indian market, participated in the 29th CII Partnership Summit 2024 in New Delhi in December, aiming to promote its investment climate and highlight promising opportunities to attract more foreign direct investments and expand commercial partnerships across various sectors of mutual interest.
Qatar also participated in the 6th India-Arab Partnership Conference on: “New Horizons in Investment, Trade and Services” held in New Delhi in July 2023. This participation was aimed at showcasing Qatar’s economy and its leading position regionally and internationally while promoting Qatar’s investment environment to international investors.
The relations between the two countries are also reinforced by a series of agreements and memorandums of understanding that regulate co-operation in defence, political, labour, investment, infrastructure, education, customs, health, tourism, youth, sports, and information exchange on money laundering and terrorism financing.
India, the world’s largest country by population and seventh-largest country by area, is strategically located near important trade routes. It is the fifth-largest economy globally, after the US, China, Japan, and Germany. With its vast potential, India attracts significant foreign investment, particularly in energy, technology, infrastructure, and agriculture.
