India thanks Qatar for taking good care of Indians during coronavirus pandemic

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday thanked Qatari Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for taking ''good care'' of the Indian diaspora in the Gulf nation during the coronavirus pandemic. Jaishankar conveyed his appreciation to Al Thani, who is also the foreign minister of Qatar, during a telephonic conversation.

''Warm conversation with DPM & FM @MBA_AlThani_of Qatar. Discussed the follow-up to the PM-Amir talk on 8 December. Thanked him for taking good care of the Indian community during COVID. Looking forward to an early meeting with him,'' Jaishankar tweeted. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar's Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani held a telephonic conversation on Tuesday during which the two leaders resolved to boost bilateral cooperation in the fields of investment flows and energy security.

It was also decided to create a special task force to further facilitate investments by the Gulf country into India. There are around 7,56,000 Indian nationals residing in Qatar and they comprise the largest expatriate community in the country.

The Indians are engaged in a wide spectrum of professions in Qatar, including medicine, engineering, education, finance, banking and business. The ties between India and Qatar have expanded in a range of areas including defence and trade in the last few years.

India's bilateral trade with Qatar in 2018-19 was USD 12.33 billion, according to official data..