TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK

DOHA A “WARM and deep partnership” between Qatar and India is blossoming following the Emir His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani’s recent visit to India, said India’s Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles Anand Sharma on Monday.

Pointing out that the size of Qatar-India bilateral trade had reached $12 billion, he said there is tremendous opportunity in both Qatar and India for investors from each country to invest in the other.

“On the one hand, Qatar is spending $150 billion on infrastructural projects for the World Cup to be hosted in Doha in 2022. On the other hand, India is spending $1.2 trillion, in the next five years, on infrastructural projects all through the country,” said Sharma. Investors from both the countries must take the opportunity to gain from such a big bonanza he concluded.

He promised to make all efforts for early creation of the Indo-Qatari Business Forum, a high-level joint forum for businessmen on either side.

He also spoke about the sincere attempts being made in India to create a free trade agreement between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Sharma was speaking at the special lunch ceremony organised by the Indian Business and Professional Network (IBPN), to welcome the Minister.

Indian Ambassador to Qatar HE Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa described the IBPN as the “cream of Indian community in Qatar” and admitted that she had never seen such a large gathering of Indian businessmen and such great enthusiasm in the last three years that she has been the Indian envoy to Qatar.

Doha Bank CEO R Seetharaman spoke about the booming economies of Qatar as well as India among the otherwise gloomy world scenario. Earlier, IBPN President Azim Abbas welcomed the minister.