VP Naidu accorded with Guard of Honour in Doha; receives warm welcome from Indian diaspora

In the last leg of his 3-nation trip, Vice PresidentVenkaiah Naidu on Saturday reached the Qatari capital. He was accorded with a ceremonial reception and a Guard of Honour at the Doha airport. The Indian diaspora in Doha also received the VP and his wife Usha Naidu with a warm welcome. They chanted 'Vande Mataram' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' in unison to express happiness on VP Naidu's visit.  

"We are happy to welcome him. The bilateral business deal is important to us under the current circumstances," a resident of Doha for 11 years, Sameer told ANI. He also hailed the expanding bilateral bonds between India and Qatar. "Since 2014, a lot of development has happened between both nations," he added.

The focus of the Qatar trip

The Vice President will be in Qatar from 04-07 June 2022, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. "During the visit, the Vice President will hold delegation-level talks with Qatar's Deputy Amir, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Thani, and review bilateral cooperation," it said. VP Naidu will also meet several other Qatari dignitaries and address a business roundtable in Doha. The Vice President will address the members of the diverse Indian community in Qatar during a Community Reception, which will be organised in his honour.

"People-to-people contacts are at the heart of the historical relations between India and Qatar, with the latter hosting over 750,000 Indians," the MEA said. India and Qatar have expanded their multifaceted cooperation between the two sides as both witnessed significant growth in economic, energy, investment, education, defence, and cultural ties. Also, bilateral trade between both nations crossed $15 billion in FY 2021-22, the MEA informed, adding that Qatar has also committed investments of over US$ 2 billion in various Indian companies over the past two years.

VP Naidu's visit to Gabon, Senegal 'fruitful': MoS

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr. Bhatti Pravin Pawar on Saturday asserted that the VP's visit to Gabon and Senegal was "fruitful" on a myriad of levels. Speaking to ANI, she said the bilateral visit resulted in bolstering the relationship between the nations in health, agriculture, trade, and cultural sector. "The Indian pharma industry is supporting Gabon & strengthing the health sector of the country. We held business meetings in Gabon&met the Indian diaspora. Many Indian companies are operating in Gabon," she said. Pawar is a part of the high-level delegation accompanying VP Naidu on the three-nation tour.

India has signed two Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) in Gabon and three in Senegal during the visit. Dr. Pawar underscored that the agreements upheld the "warm and friendly" relations between both nations. He also met with Senegal President Macky Sall and designated the African nation as the most stable democracy in Africa.

(Image:@VPSecretariat/Twitter)