MoS External Affairs V Muraleedharan to Visit Qatar

Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan will pay his first official visit to Qatar from May 8-10 during which he will hold discussions with Qatari dignitaries and meet a wide cross-section of the Indian community.

"During the visit, MoS will hold discussions with his counterpart Soltan bin Saad Al-Muraikhi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hassan bin Abdulla Al-Ghanim, Speaker of the Shura Council, and other Qatari dignitaries" the external affairs ministry (MEA) said in a statement.

MoS will also meet a wide cross-section of the Indian community in Qatar, including those working in areas of community welfare, business, health, culture, education, engineering, accountancy, and Indian veterans.

He will be participating in Labour Day celebrations with the blue-collar workers from India. The Indian community will host a reception and a cultural event to mark Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav during the visit of MOS.

The visit of the Minister of State for External Affairs would add to the momentum of the multifaceted bilateral cooperation. Both countries share excellent bilateral relations ranging across - political, economic, defence, cultural and educational fields, which have further strengthened in the past few years. The leadership of both countries has maintained close contact during the Covid-19 pandemic, as per MEA.

Qatar is home to over 700,000 Indians. The bilateral trade crossed USD 15 billion in FY 2021-22 and Qatar's investments in India have increased five folds over the past two years.

Both countries will be celebrating the golden jubilee of the establishment of full diplomatic relations in 2023.