Indian PM Modi to visit Qatar, stuns world diplomacy by release of eight ex-navy personnel

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Qatar following the release of eight former Indian Navy personnel who were detained in the Gulf country. PM Modi will land in Qatar on February 14 after concluding his visit to the UAE, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said in a special press conference on Monday (Feb 12).
“After completing his UAE visit on February 14, the PM will travel to Doha on February 14 afternoon. During the visit, PM Modi will hold bilateral with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Emir of Qatar, and high dignitaries in Qatar … this will be the PM’s second visit to Qatar… strong bilateral trade between India and Qatar, currently stands at $20 billion,” the foreign secretary said.
Kwatra added that the two nations will further discuss the steps to deepen their partnership and increase bilateral trade. The announcement of the visit comes after Qatar released eight former Indian Navy personnel detained in the country for their alleged involvement in espionage for Israel.In October 2023, a Qatari court had given the eight men death sentence, which prompted New Delhi to appeal the decision. The court subsequently accepted India’s appeal.
In December last year, PM Modi met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai. It is believed that this interaction may have prompted a change of position by the Qatari authorities on the case and death sentence.
Qatar frees 8 Indian Navy veterans jailed on espionage charges, 7 return to India
On December 3, just two days after PM Modi’s meeting with the Qatari leader, the Indian ambassador to Qatar got the first consular access to the eight Indians in prison. In the same month, the Qatari court commuted the death sentences of the eight men and gave them imprisonment terms.
`We waited 18 months`: Seven jailed ex-sailors freed by Qatar return to India, thank PM Modi. And now, the eight men have been freed, and seven of them have already landed in India.
According to a statement from India’s foreign ministry, the two countries are among each other’s top trading partners with a bilateral trade of about US$ 85 billion in 2022-23. UAE is also among the top 4 investors in India in terms of foreign direct investments in 2022-23.
-TIN Bureau