The Qatar Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will be visiting India next week, from 17-18th February as both sides firm up ties in a range of areas including energy sector. 

Qatar is India’s largest supplier of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), providing over 48% of India’s global LNG imports. In the fiscal year 2022-23, India’s bilateral trade with Qatar was approximately US$ 18.77 billion. Qatar’s Energy Minister, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi had visited India earlier this month for India Energy Week. During his visit, Al-Kaabi emphasised Qatar’s commitment to supporting India’s energy requirements. 

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The relationship between the two countries are also based on strong people to people ties, given the presence of large Indian diaspora in the country. With around 800,000 Indian nationals in Qatar, they form the largest expatriate community, contributing across various sectors like medicine, engineering, education, finance, and labor. 

The upcoming visit comes even as situation in West Asia remains precarious but with ceasefire announced between Hamas & Israel hopes are high that 2025 could see less tensions in the region. 

The visit comes exactly a year after the visit of PM Modi to the country. The visit came days after Qatar released the 8 former Indian Navy officials in its custody.