With the intention to improve India-Qatar ties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani today held detailed talks here on a wide range of issues. At the outset, Modi personally extended greetings to the Emir, who celebrated his 36th birthday two days ago. Before the talks, Modi was given a ceremonial reception at the Emiri Diwan, the seat of power of Qatar’s ruler.

“The full splendour of an Arab welcome as PM @narendramodi receives ceremonial honours at Emiri Diwan in Doha,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup tweeted along with a photo.

Talks of cooperation in the energy sector are expected to be high on the agenda that will cover various issues. Qatar is an important trading partner for India in the Gulf region with bilateral trade in 2014-15 stood at $15.67 billion.

Qatar is also one of India’s key sources of crude oil. This Arab country has a large population of Indians who number over 6.3 lakh. While landing here yesterday, Modi had said India attaches great priority to strong ties with Qatar and that his visit seeks to expand the bilateral ties further. The Prime Minister has been focusing on improving ties with the Gulf region which is crucial for India’s energy security. He has already visited United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. His trip marks a Prime Ministerial visit after eight years. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited Doha in 2008.

The Emir of Qatar had visited India in March 2015. Previously, the Emir of Qatar had visited India in 1999, 2005 and 2012.

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