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India-Qatar defence ties |
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India and Qatar have cemented their relations by agreeing to a crucial defence deal and expanding their energy cooperation and business ties during the three-day visit of Qatar’s ruler that ended April 15.
“We discussed India’s proposal to buy 12 Mirage 2000-V fighter aircraft from the Qatar Air Force,” First Deputy Prime Minister Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al-Thani told reporters.
Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and his high-profile delegation held high-level talks with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee Thursday to expand military cooperation during which the Mirage deal also figured.
“The deal has been almost finalised. It’s now just a matter of formalities. A technical team will meet soon to finalise the details,” Shaikh Hamad said.
The Emir’s visit took the energy cooperation between the two countries to a new level as extensive discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar showed.
“It will be our top priority to give energy to India. We will try our best to give as much energy requirements to India as we can,” said Shaikh Hamad, who is also the foreign affairs minister of Qatar.
India is one of the biggest buyers of natural gas from Qatar.
Qatar is keen to enhance the flow of Indian tourists to the country known for its unspoilt beaches and exotic resorts.
“We have enhanced flights from Qatar for this purpose,” he said, referring to an air services agreement that will allow the two countries to operate flights to more destinations and increase their frequency.
The air services agreement was signed by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Qatar Finance Minister Yousef Hussain Kamaal in the presence of Manmohan Singh and the Emir following their delegation level talks at Hyderabad House, the traditional venue for such high-level talks.
Saying that the Emir’s India visit had provided “a good positive angle” to bilateral relations, Shaikh Hamad also mentioned the discussion between the two sides on mutual investments to strengthen business ties.
A high-level committee will meet in May to explore the possibility of a strategic partnership between the two countries.
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