India Qatar Relations
Context:
- Indian diplomacy has a challenge in light of the Court of First Instance’s ruling in Qatar, which sentenced eight former Indian Navy officers to death.
India’s reaction:
- The Ministry of External Affairs has stated that it is “awaiting the detailed judgement” and has expressed “concern.”
Qatar-India Relations: Latest Visits:
- Then, in 2015, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani visited India in retaliation for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 2008 visit to Qatar.
- Doha has hosted EAM Jaishankar on several occasions, and in 2016 Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the Gulf state.
- These trips have prepared the way for a robust business partnership.
Qatar’s importance in the Middle East:
- A member of the Gulf Cooperation Council is Qatar.
- Recently, Qatar has made clear that it wants to become more involved in Middle East affairs.
- Every major power, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United States, and Russia, is friendly with it.
- Instead of following Saudi Arabia’s lead, Qatar forged its own path in international affairs.
- Doha has developed as a hub for middle eastern conflict resolution.
Qatar’s importance to India:
- In Qatar, there are over 8,000 000 Indian residents who work.
- The main source of natural gas to India is Qatar. (According to trade data, India purchased 19.85 million tonnes of LNG in total in FY23, with 10.74 million tonnes, or 54%, coming from Qatar.)
- The Gulf nation is home to a number of Indian businesses, including Wipro, Tech Mahindra, Larsen & Toubro, and Tata Consultancy Services.
- Thus far, India and Qatar have only collaborated on defence matters through training, attending conferences and events together, and having Indian Navy and Coast Guard ships visit each other.
- The naval drill between the Indian and Qatari navys is called Roar of the Sea, or Za’ir-Al-Bahr.
- Indian performers frequently appear in Qatar during gatherings hosted by neighbourhood associations connected to the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC).
- The Indian Community’s supreme body, ICC operates under the auspices of the Indian Embassy in Doha as well as private sponsors.
- India was grateful for Qatar’s co-sponsorship of its resolution in the UN General Assembly, which established June 21 as the International Day of Yoga (IDY) and was approved unanimously with a record 177 co-sponsors.
- Over 30,000 pupils attend 14 Indian schools in Qatar that teach CBSE curricula; the majority of these students are the offspring of Indian nationals employed in Qatar.
Relationship worries between Qatar and India:
- Following the repeal of Article 370 in 2019, the Al Jazeera station, which is funded by Qatar, launched a vigorous campaign against India.
- The comments made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma regarding Prophet Mohammed caused a stir in Qatar.
- Pakistan has an impact on how Qatar responds to India.
Way Forward:
- Actually, New Delhi’s mission is made more difficult by the crisis in West Asia. It should continue to make efforts to assist its people and utilise all diplomatic avenues, but proceed cautiously.
