Doha: The meeting of the Qatar-India Joint Business Council and the high-level meeting between private sector representatives from both sides convened in Doha on Monday.
A side of those two meetings was attended by HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani, HE Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, Piyush Goyal, HE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed, HE Chairman of Qatar Chamber (QC), Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani, along with HE Ambassador of the Republic of India to the State of Qatar Vipul.
Second Vice-Chairman of QC Rashid bin Hamad Al Athba chaired the meeting of the Qatar-India Joint Business Council for the Qatari side, with Chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Middle East Council, Adeeb Ahamed, chairing the Indian side.
Those in attendance included several members of the QC Board of Directors and members from both the Qatari and Indian sides of the Joint Business Council, along with a host of Qatari business owners and their counterparts from India.
Throughout the meeting, they discussed avenues for cooperation between the Qatari and Indian business sectors in multiple economic sectors, in addition to reviewing the investment climate and investment opportunities available for collaboration between the companies in the two countries.
In his opening remarks, Al Athba affirmed that the Qatar-India relationship has remarkably thrived over the past decades, highlighting that India is considered a strategic trade partner for the State of Qatar. He noted that the trade volume between the two nations reached approximately QAR48 billion in 2024 (equivalent to USD13.2 billion).
There are numerous shared investments that cover many critical sectors, along with multiple cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between the two countries in all fields, Al Athba pointed out.
He noted that India is a key destination for Qatari Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports, with Qatar importing numerous Indian products in a variety of sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food products, pharmaceuticals, and so forth.
Qatar offers an attractive investment environment by virtue of its sophisticated infrastructure and modern economic legislation, as well as its strategic location as a gateway to regional markets, Al Athba underlined.
He stressed the council's critical role as an effective platform to boost collaboration between the public and private sectors in the two countries, explore forging partnerships and joint projects that serve their shared interests, and elevate trade and investment cooperation to new heights.
Al Athba further underscored QC's commitment to backing the initiatives of both Qatari and Indian businessmen and removing any potential hitches that could impede the cooperation avenues, culminating in fostering shared economic interests and lending impetus to the bilateral relationship toward broader apertures.
For his part, Adib Ahmed affirmed that Qatar and India share strong and evolving ties, noting that Qatar is India's largest gas supplier, with Qatari exports reaching USD6.9 billion during 2024-2025, representing 26 percent of India's total gas imports.
Qatari investments in India span sectors such as real estate and financial services, with over 20,000 Indian small and medium-sized enterprises operating across all sectors in Qatar, Ahmed noted.
He added that Qatar's leadership in the energy sector opens the door to further cooperation and partnership between Indian and Qatari business sectors, underscoring that collaboration between companies from both countries encompasses energy, food security, healthcare, technology, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, and other sectors.
Ahmed further stressed that the council serves as an ideal platform to advance cooperation between the Qatari and Indian private sectors, expressing hope that discussions among business leaders will yield concrete outcomes benefiting the economies of the two friendly nations.
Board Member of QC, HE Mohamed bin Mahdi Al Ahbabi, said the Qatari side is serious about exploring trade partnerships and alliances with Indian firms, particularly in the health sector.
For his part, Board Member of QC, HE Nasser bin Sulaiman Al Haidar, highlighted the existing close cooperation between the two nations in trade areas. He called attention to the importance of streamlining the seamless flow of Indian gold and jewelry to the Qatari market.
Board Member of QC, Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Obaidli, said Qatari firms are looking for real partners and serious partnerships with Indian ones, especially in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence.
Several Qatari and Indian stakeholders delivered presentations about investment opportunities and cooperation in fields including Qatar Free Zones Authority, Invest Qatar, as well as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
