Beyond acknowledging Qatar’s cooperation in the release of eight jailed Indian Navy personnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Doha is also important from the perspective of energy security, top government sources told News18.
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday met his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha and discussed ways to strengthen ties between the two countries. Modi arrived in Doha on Wednesday night on an official visit to Qatar. This is the Prime Minister’s second visit to Qatar, the first being in June 2016.
India’s announcement on Modi’s visit to the Qatari capital came on Monday, hours after seven out of eight jailed former Indian Navy personnel returned home, nearly three-and-half months after a Qatari court handed them a death sentence that was subsequently commuted to jail terms ranging from three to 25 years.
Qatar released all the eight Indians. The former Indian Navy personnel apparently faced charges of espionage, but neither the Qatari authorities nor New Delhi made the charges against them public.
“Qatar is going to be an important partner for India. The PM’s visit is very important in terms of Indian diplomacy and energy security. Qatar has huge gas storage for next 25-30 years and this is important for India’s green energy commitments,” a top official said.
“We are getting fertilisers from Qatar and 6 lakh Indians are working there. More importantly, this visit acknowledged the obligation Qatar has made by releasing Indian Navy personnel,” the official added.
During his two-day visit, PM Modi attended a dinner hosted in his honour by Qatar’s Prime Minister. On Thursday, the PM will meet the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and hold talks on bilateral as well as regional and global issues.
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