In a rare gesture of diplomatic warmth Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself came to the airport in New Delhi on Monday to receive Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani. The visit is the continuation of building relations between the two countries and comes as Qatari leader begins a two-day official visit to India.
Sheikh Tamim is expected to hold talks with the Head of State Droupadi Murmu and have bilateral discussions with PM Modi on Tuesday. The visit at Modi’s invitation highlights India’s ongoing efforts to enhance its ties to Gulf countries. This is Amir’s second state visit to India after a visit in 2015.
India and Qatar share longstanding economic and strategic ties, particularly in trade, energy cooperation, and investment. Qatar is a major supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India and the two nations have been engaged often in mid-line to dive partnership in various areas, including technology and infrastructure. 
Modi’s personal meeting with the Amir at the airport is a rare diplomatic gesture reminding that India is serious in building bilateral ties with the oil-rich nation. The visit is hoped to facilitate further improvement of economic ties and political interaction between the two nations, with probable new agreements to be signed in a number of fields.
At an evolving time of global geopolitics, India’s dealing with Qatar matches it broader approach to strong ties which include with power-rich Gulf clubs while expanding trade-investment suggest beyond the region.
