India Qatar Relations
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- Context (IE): Eight former personnel of the Indian Navy who were working in their private capacity were detained in Doha in 2022 and have been sentenced to death by a Qatari court.
India-Qatar Bilateral Relations
Bilateral trade
- India’s bilateral trade with Qatar in 2022 23 was US$ 18.77 billion.
- India’s export to Qatar during 2022 23 was US$ 1.96 billion, and India’s import from Qatar was US$ 16.8 billion. Therefore, the trade balance continues to be heavily in Qatar’s favour.
- India is the third largest export destination for Qatar (China and Japan being the other two) and among the top three sources of Qatar’s imports, along with China and the US.
- Qatar is the largest supplier of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India, accounting for over 48% of India’s global LNG imports.
Defence cooperation
- The India-Qatar Defence Cooperation Agreement was signed in 2008 and extended for another five years in 2018.
- India regularly participates in the biennial Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) in Qatar.
- Both countries have conducted joint naval exercises called “Zair Al Bahr” in two editions.
Indian Community
- There are over 8,00,000 Indian nationals residing in Qatar.
- They comprise the largest expatriate community in Qatar.
Qatar’s Influence in World Politics
- Qatar played an important role as a mediator in the Doha Agreement between the US & the Taliban.
- Qatar is leading mediation talks with Hamas and Israeli officials over the release of hostages after the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Challenges in the India-Qatar relationship
- Derogatory Comments: In 2022, a BJP spokesperson made derogatory references to the prophet, leading to objections from Qatar, which demanded a public apology from India.
- Jailing of eight ex-Navy personnel: The arrest & imposition of the death penalty on India’s ex-Navy personnel by Qatar without disclosing any valid reasons or credible evidence has created tensions.
Qatar
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