Press Release
Embassy of India
Doha
PRESS RELEASE
Greetings from Ambassador of India
on the occasion of the National Day of the State of Qatar
It is an honour and a pleasure to convey, on behalf of the Government and the people of India and on my own behalf, our warmest greetings to His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar; His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir; His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Thani, the Deputy Emir; His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; and the Government and the people of Qatar on the occasion of their National Day.
On this joyous and historic occasion, we renew our deep admiration for the strides being made by Qatar in multiple spheres in the framework of Qatar Vision 2030, and convey our best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of this great country.
We also renew our sincere thanks to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir, and the Government and the people of Qatar for their hospitality to the Indian community in Qatar. As always, the large, diverse, accomplished and highly regarded Indian community in Qatar is participating enthusiastically in the celebrations of Qatar's National Day.
India and Qatar have deep-rooted ties, nurtured through history by active people to people contacts, trade and commerce, and cultural affinities and exchanges.
The historic voyage undertaken by Fath Al Khair Dhow from Doha to Mumbai, via Oman during 5 October - 17 November 2015, recreated history and reaffirmed the centuries old friendship between Qataris and Indians.
We salute HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Emir for patronizing this unique initiative, that was launched in 2013 as a commemoration of the historical pearl trade route. It is significant that on its second voyage, Fath Al Khair sailed to Mumbai, whereas its first voyage was to neighbouring Gulf countries.
The multi-faceted engagement and partnership between India and Qatar has further intensified during the last year. The State Visit of HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir to India on 24-25 March 2015, at the invitation of Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, provided an excellent opportunity to both sides to engage at the highest level, and imparted fresh momentum to our bilateral ties.
Ahead of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi wrote a letter to HH the Emir on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and conveying India's thanks for Qatar's support for celebrations marking the First International Day of Yoga (IDY) on 21 June, 2015. We deeply value the special gesture of the release of a commemorative stamp by Qatar Post on this occasion.
HH the Emir and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi reviewed bilateral cooperation during their phone conversation on 2 November 2015. HH the Emir renewed his invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Qatar; the Prime Minister thanked HH the Emir and reiterated his keenness to visit Qatar on mutually convenient dates.
Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India and HE Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar co-chaired the India-GCC Ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the 70th UNGA in New York on 30 September 2015.
There have also been other high level interactions between the two countries in recent months.
As we join the celebrations of Qatar’s National Day, we are confident that India-Qatar partnership is poised to scale new heights in the months and years ahead.
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