Qatar, India Enjoy Strong Economic Relations

Doha, December 27 (QNA) - Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar praised the close relations linking his country with the State of Qatar, terming them as 'historic and robust'. His Excellency stressed his country's interest in developing cooperation ties with Qatar in economic and commercial areas, as well as attracting more Qatari investments to India. He also called upon Qatari businessmen and investors to invest in India which offers a variety of opportunities in various economic sectors. This came during a meeting held on Sunday with officials from Qatar Chamber (QC) and Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA). The meeting was attended by HE QC Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, HE QBA Chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani, HE Ambassador of India to the State of Qatar Dr. Deepak Mittal and many QC board members and Qatari and Indian businessmen. The meeting reviewed cooperation relations between the Qatari private sector and its Indian counterpart and identified investment opportunities available in both sides. During the meeting, the Indian Minister reviewed the efforts made by India to contain the spread of Covid-19, noting that the Indian economy resorted its activity last September and started currently to recover from the crisis repercussions. For his part, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani praised the strong and close relations which linked Qatar and India at all levels, especially the economic and trade fields, pointing out that India is an important trade partner for Qatar, while Qatar is the largest supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India. His Excellency noted that Qatar has managed to curb the spread of Covid-19 and benefiting from the blockade experiment imposed on it for more than three years, pointing out that India was among the first countries to launch direct marine route with Hamad Port in the very beginning of the blockade. He also said that the two countries' bilateral trade reached $10.5 billion, while it stood at $6.3 billion at the end of the third quarter of this year despite the current circumstances of Covid-19. HE QC Chairman emphasized that the Qatar Chamber supports forging partnerships between both sides, noting that there exists a large scope of opportunities for Indian businessmen to expand their business in Qatar, especially that Qatar offers an advanced infrastructure, appropriate economic legislation, and an attractive business environment. His Excellency expressed his hope that the meeting would help in fostering cooperation ties and exploring new areas of cooperation and partnership between business sectors of both countries. On his part, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani lauded the strong relation between both countries in economic and commercial fields, noting that most Qatari businessmen have business partnerships with Indian companies, and they have Indian managers in their companies, stressing that India was the first commercial destination for Qatari businessmen. His Excellency also emphasized the Qatari businessmen's firm desire to strengthen cooperation relations with their Indian counterparts, expressing his hope that mutual visits between them will be resumed after the Covid-19 ends. He also said that Qatari firms have been present in international markets, stressing that this offers a good opportunity for them to build successful partnership with Indian counterparts whether in India or Qatar or in other country. (QNA)