India and Qatar have agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a strategic partnership. The decision came during the visit of Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, the amir of Qatar, to India earlier this week.
During the visit, the two sides signed five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) relating to trade and investment, energy ties, and cooperation in the areas of archives and documentation, youth affairs, and sports.
A revised agreement on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to income taxes was also signed. Notably, Qatar committed to investing $10 billion in India across different sectors, including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality, and “other areas of mutual interest.”
Qatar is India’s largest supplier of LNG and LPG, making it a significant partner in India’s energy security and growth story.
Signaling the importance New Delhi accords to its relationship with Qatar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol to receive the Qatari amir at the airport. This was a “special gesture for a special friend,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson said. Such a gesture has been extended by Modi to only five other leaders so far — U.S. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, Japan’s Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and the UAE’s President Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
During the Qatari leader’s visit, the two sides pledged to double bilateral trade from the current $14.08 billion in five years. They are also exploring the possibility of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA). “While there are talks going on for the India-Gulf Cooperation FTA, India at a bilateral level with Qatar has decided that we will look at the possibility of an FTA in future,” an MEA official said at a press briefing.
A meeting of the India-Qatar Business Forum was held during the visit. Two key MoUs were signed at an event between the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Qatar Business Association and Invest India and Invest Qatar to facilitate “business cooperation, enhance investment flows, and foster long-term collaboration in strategic sectors of mutual interest.” Evidently, trade and investment were the focus of the amir’s visit.
While defense is an “important pillar” of India-Qatar bilateral ties, there was no forward movement in this regard. The MEA clarified at a special briefing on the visit that there were no talks about “any kind of defense-related cooperation.”
New Delhi and Doha signed a framework agreement on defense and security cooperation in 2008, which was extended in 2018. However, at the briefing, the MEA said that it does not have any defense agreement or cooperation with Qatar “at this moment,” indicating that the agreement was not renewed at its expiry in 2023.
During Modi’s 2016 visit to Doha, defense and security cooperation figured prominently with both leaders agreeing to “provide further impetus to these relations, including through joint exercises and enhanced training of naval, air, and land forces.” They also agreed to explore possibilities for joint production of defense equipment in India.
In contrast, during Modi’s February 2024 visit, both sides exchanged views on “expanding bilateral cooperation in sectors such as trade, investment, energy, finance, and technology” with no mention of security or defense cooperation being made. Again, during the 5th India Qatar Foreign Office Consultations held in October the same year, there were no indications that security or defense ties were discussed during the review of the “entire gamut of India-Qatar bilateral relations.”
The India-Qatar bilateral maritime exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the Sea) has not been held since August 2021. The Joint Defense Cooperation Committee has only met five times so far, with the last visit being held in Doha in 2019.
Signaling the importance of trade in the bilateral relationship, the Joint Working Group on Trade and Commerce was elevated to a Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce during the amir’s visit earlier this week,
Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased significantly in recent years. In 2024, bilateral trade volume increased by 51 percent, reaching $13.1 billion, making India Qatar’s third largest trading partner. This was mainly driven by LNG imports from Qatar, indicating an already robust bilateral energy cooperation.
As both sides look to double trade to $28 billion, exploring other areas of cooperation is vital. Defense trade can be a lucrative option with India as an emerging defense exporter, having sold arms to over 85 countries in 2024, including the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Qatar is one of the world’s largest arms importers. Yet, trade and investment talks did not seem to cover this sector.
While the elevation of ties to a strategic partnership does suggests that bilateral ties have survived the turbulence caused by Qatar’s arrest of former Indian military personnel working with Al Dahra Global Technologies — it even led to the expulsion of India’s Defense Attaché in Doha, Captain Mohan Atla – the lack of progress in security and defense cooperation indicates otherwise. Notably, New Delhi is yet to reappoint a defense attaché to the Indian Embassy in Doha, despite securing the release of eight of the jailed veterans, which was hailed a major “diplomatic victory” by the Indian media.
According to the MEA readout, both sides “exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including the security situation in the Middle East.” However, there is little to suggest that both sides share the same worldview. The MEA’s statement on the Israel-Hamas issue that “India conveyed its own position, the Qatari side conveyed their own position and we exchanged views” confirms this. Despite India officially welcoming the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal, no mention was made of Qatar’s significant mediatory role. This is in contrast to Modi’s overt praise for President Trump’s mediatory efforts in the Russia-Ukraine conflict during a recent visit to Washington earlier this month.
The amir’s visit came close on the heels of Adani Ports’ subsidiary incorporating a joint venture company in Qatar. It sparked renewed scrutiny about the relationship between Modi and the Adani Group’s billionaire CEO Gautam Adani and raised questions about the true intention of the amir’s visit.
Overall, there is little to suggest that Doha’s underlying differences with New Delhi have been fully reconciled. While the focus on trade, investment and energy is undoubtedly mutually beneficial, it indicates that the relationship remains largely economic, falling short of a comprehensive partnership. As it currently stands, the tag of a “strategic partnership” is, at best, aspirational, if not transactional.