India, Qatar elevate ties to strategic partnership, set $28 bn trade target

PM MODI, AMIR OF QATAR HOLD TALKS

- SIMONTINI BHATTACHARJEE

India and Qatar, on Tuesday, elevated their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership during the state visit of Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to New Delhi. The two nations set an ambitious target to double their bilateral trade from $14 billion to $28 billion over the next five years.

The two-day state visit began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending a rare gesture of personally receiving the Amir at Delhi airport with a warm embrace.

In the presence of the two leaders, India and Qatar signed two major agreements: one establishing the strategic partnership and another revising the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement. Additionally, five memoranda of understanding were signed to bolster economic cooperation, facilitate archival management, and enhance collaboration in youth affairs and sports.

"The strategic partnership agreement actually elevates the present state of bilateral relationship to a strategic level. What we are looking at is deepening cooperation in fields of trade and energy security, as well as in regional and international fora," said Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, during a press briefing. He emphasized that the strategic partnership agreement will cover the "entire spectrum" of the bilateral relationship.