NEW DELHI: Foreign minister S Jaishankar will travel to Doha for two days starting Sunday as India strengthens its ties with the Gulf states. He is scheduled to meet the Qatari leadership, including his counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
India is one of the biggest source countries for labour and skilled personnel in Qatar. Jaishankar is expected to make the case for opening up for Indian workers to go back to the Gulf country for work.
Earlier this month, both countries agreed to institutionalise measures to promote and protect the rights of workers during the Sixth Meeting of India-Qatar Joint Committee on Labour and Manpower Development, according to a statement by the MEA.
“They welcomed the recent labour reform measures adopted by Qatar. Both sides agreed on institutionalising measures to promote and protect the rights of the workers, including settlement of labour issues and facilitate movement of people between the two countries, in a safe and secure manner,” the statement said.
India and Qatar have also agreed to set up a high-level task force for energy investment. Qatar is India’s largest supplier of natural gas and LPG. India is seeking investment to build energy infratsrutucre in the country to help transition from coal to gas as the primary source of energy.