Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal will begin his two-day visit to Qatar on Monday, during which he will hold discussions on a proposed comprehensive trade deal between India and the West Asian nation, including steps to finalise the framework of the deal, the commerce department said on Sunday.
Both sides will also hold talks on reviewing the bilateral trade performance, addressing existing trade barriers and non-tariff issues, and exploring avenues to enhance trade and investment flows.
"The talks are likely to include deliberations on the proposed India-Qatar FTA (Free Trade Agreement), with the way forward on finalisation of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) which will further strengthen economic cooperation between both countries," the official statement said.
"Cooperation in other key sectors such as finance, agriculture, environment, tourism, culture, and healthcare will also form an integral part of the discussions aimed at deepening the multifaceted partnership between India and Qatar," the ministry added.
This will be Goyal's first visit to Doha to attend the Qatar-India Joint Commission Meeting on Trade and Commerce. The meeting will be co-chaired by his Qatar-based counterpart Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani. He will be accompanied by senior officials from ministries, as well as a business delegation.
India-Qatar trade stood at $14.15 billion in FY25. India ran a $10.78 billion trade deficit, mainly due to petroleum imports comprising around 89 per cent of total imports. Exports to Qatar stood at $1.68 billion, while imports were $12.46 billion.
Ajay Srivastava, former trade official and founder of Global Trade Research Initiative said that the evolving India-Qatar partnership reflects a pragmatic convergence of need -- Qatar's quest for diversified security and investment partners and India's pursuit of stable energy supplies and regional influence.
"While trade remains heavily dominated by hydrocarbons," Srivastava said, "both countries recognise the need to broaden cooperation into new sectors such as chemicals, fertilisers, metals, and engineering goods. Unless trade is balanced, prereferral trade agreement giving concessions on petrochemicals may not be in India's favour."
"Joint ventures in energy infrastructure, technology collaboration, and cross-border investments can help reduce India's trade deficit and reinforce Qatar's role as a trusted long-term partner," Srivastava added.
-- Shreya Nandi, Business Standard
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