Jaishankar to visit Qatar from December 27 to 28
Dec 26, 2020
New Delhi [India], December 26 : Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar will be on a two-day visit to Qatar from December 27 to 28 wherein he will be meeting Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Jaishankar will be meeting Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani and also call on other important dignitaries of the State of Qatar.
This will be Jaishankar's first visit to Qatar as External Affairs Minister.
"During the visit, he will hold talks with his counterpart on bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. He will convey special gratitude to the State of Qatar for taking care of Indians during the Covid-19 pandemic," said the Ministry.
India and Qatar have maintained close high-level contacts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani have spoken thrice on the telephone in the past few months. EAM and other Cabinet Ministers have also spoken with their Qatari counterparts.
The Ministry further said that India and Qatar enjoy strong economic, cultural and people-to-people ties. "Qatar hosts more than 7 lakh Indians. The bilateral trade was USD 10.95 billion in 2019-20. Both sides remain committed to intensifying bilateral cooperation in various fields including energy and investments," the statement said.
India and Qatar have also worked together to face the Covid-19 pandemic and coordinated smooth operation of flights under an Air Bubble arrangement, the ministry added.
