Qatar, India joint statement

At the invitation of Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar paid a State visit to India from 24-25 March 2015. HH the Emir was accompanied by a high level delegation comprising Ministers, senior officials, business leaders and captains of industry. HH the Emir was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on 25 March. During the visit, HH the Emir met President Shri Pranab Mukherjee who hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the visiting dignitary. As part of his official engagements in New Delhi, HH the Emir held detailed bilateral discussions with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. HH the Emir received Hon’ble Vice President Shri M. Hamid Ansari. He also received Minister of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs Smt Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State (Independent Charge) Petroleum and Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.
2. During the official discussions, the two sides underlined the close and friendly bilateral ties, deep-rooted in shared history and sustained and nourishedthrough growing economic linkages, multi-faceted cooperation and vibrant people to people contacts. The wide-ranging discussions were held in a sincere, friendly and forward looking atmosphere. There was exchange of views on bilateral, regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
3. The two sides expressed satisfaction at the regular exchange of visits between the two countries in recent years. They noted that the bilateral relationship acquired a new momentum following the landmark visits of the then Emir HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to India in 1999, 2005 and 2012 and received strong impetus with the visit of the then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to the State of Qatar in November 2008.
4. The two sides discussed ways and means to build a forward-looking partnership by further broadening and deepening the bilateral engagement and by better leveraging the existing complementarities between the two countries in key areas of mutual interest including inter alia, energy, power, petrochemicals, investments, infrastructure, development, project exports, education, culture, health, human resource, media and information technology.
5. The two sides stressed the importance of continuing regular bilateral consultations through the robust architecture of dialogue in place, including the Composite Delegation Mechanism, Foreign Office Consultations and various joint committees and working groups. It was emphasized that the sectoral Joint Working Groups should meet more often to strengthen cooperation.
6. Both sides noted with satisfaction that the latest round of Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi in June 2014 were useful in reviewing progress in bilateral relations and exchanging views of regional and international issues of mutual interest. It was decided that next such consultations would be held in Qatar in the first half of 2016 and dates will be decided through diplomatic channels.
7. The two sides welcomed the signing of following Agreement/MOUs: i. Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of State of Qatar on the Transfer of sentenced Persons.
ii. MoU on Mutual Cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute, Ministry of External Affairs, Republic of India and the Qatar Diplomatic Institute, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State of Qatar.
iii. MoU between Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Government of the Republic of India and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of the State of Qatar for cooperation in the field of Information and Communication Technology; iiii. MoU between India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth sciences and Qatar Meteorological Department for Scientific and Technical cooperation in the field of Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences; v. MoU for cooperation in the field of Radio and Television between Prasar Bharati and Qatar Media Corporation; vi. Agreement for Mutual Cooperation and Exchange of News between Qatar News Agency and United New Agency.
8. HH the Emir expressed appreciation for the role and contribution of the Indian community towards the development of Qatar. He noted with satisfaction that Indians in Qatar were highly respected for their peaceful and hard-working nature. The Indian side conveyed sincere thanks to the Qatari leadership for hosting the Indian community and for ensuring their continued well-being and safety.
9. Both sides informed each other of their plans for infrastructure development. The Indian side highlighted the considerable experience and expertise its companies had acquired in infrastructure development, including in power generation and transmission, civil construction, railways and metros, hospitals, airports, housing, roads etc. It conveyed the interest of the Indian companies to be a partner in the infrastructure development projects undertaken by Qatar in preparation for the FIFA 2022 world cup and the development plans under vision "2030 for Qatar".
10. The Indian side invited Qatar to participate in projects creating mega industrial manufacturing corridors, including the Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor. The Qatari side expressed keen interest in the flagship-"Make in India" programme. The Indian side also informed the Qatari side of the Clean Ganga Programme and Digital India Programme.
11. The two sides appreciated the close cultural affinity between Qatar and India, which continued to underpin the bilateral relationship. They lauded the role culture plays in bringing the people of India and Qatar together.
12. The two sides condemned terrorism in its all forms and manifestations and affirmed that it threatened all socialites and was not linked to any race, colour or faith. Both sides agreed to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism at both the bilateral level and within the multilateral system of the UN. The two sides stressed the need for closer cooperation in the area of security and counter-terrorism through regular dialogue, sharing of information, intelligence and assessments and training of personnel.
13. The two sides exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the security situation in West Asia, Middle East and South Asia. Both sides also reiterated the importance of peaceful resolution of all issues, regional or global through dialogue.
14. The Emir of Qatar HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani thanked Hon'ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to HH and the Qatari delegation during their stay in India. HH extended invitations to Hon'ble President and Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to visit Qatar at a mutually convenient time, which were gladly accepted.