Qatar and India have maintained solid bilateral relations for decades.

The two nations have taken several steps to boost cooperation in various areas, particularly in the fields of trade, economy, investment, energy, among others.

To review bilateral relations, India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar is scheduled to meet his Qatari counterpart His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during an official visit to Qatar.

The Indian minister will be in Qatar for a two-day visit, starting today.

According to a statement by the Indian embassy in Qatar, "Dr Jaishankar’s visit to Qatar will be his first to the country as external affairs minister.”

Visit of H.E. @DrSJaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India to Qatar (27-28 December, 2020)@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @QNAEnglish @d_mittal73 pic.twitter.com/OXkiuaBGHh

— India in Qatar (@IndEmbDoha) December 26, 2020

He will discuss bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest with HE Sheikh Mohammed.

“He will convey special gratitude to Qatar for taking care of Indians during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the embassy statement mentions.

"India and Qatar have maintained close high-level contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken three times on telephone in the past few months. The external affairs minister and other cabinet ministers have also spoken with their Qatari counterparts,” the statement highlights.

The statement further shines a light on India-Qatar’s historic and strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties.

“Qatar hosts more than 700,000 Indians. The bilateral trade was $10.95bn in 2019-20. Both sides remain committed to intensifying bilateral co-operation in various fields including energy and investments,” the statement underlines.

It adds that India and Qatar also joined hands to face the COVID-19 pandemic “and coordinated smooth operation of flights under an air bubble arrangement.”

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Cover Image Credit: Telegraph India