Indian ambassador’s greetings to Qatar

It is an honour and a pleasure to convey, on behalf of the Government and the people of India and on my own behalf, our warmest greetings to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar; HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Father Emir; HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani, the Deputy Emir; HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; and the Government and the people of Qatar on the occasion of their National Day. On this joyous and historic occasion, we renew our deep admiration for the strides being made by Qatar in multiple spheres in the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030, and convey our best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of this great country. We also renew our sincere thanks to HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir, and the Government and the people of Qatar for their hospitality to the Indian community in Qatar. As always, the large, diverse, accomplished and highly regarded Indian community in Qatar is participating enthusiastically in the celebrations of Qatar’s National Day. India and Qatar have deep-rooted ties, nurtured through history by active people to people contacts, trade and commerce, and cultural affinities and exchanges. The historic voyage undertaken by Fath Al Khair dhow from Doha to Mumbai, via Oman during  October 5-November 17, 2015,  recreated history and reaffirmed the centuries-old friendship between Qataris and Indians. We salute HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Father Emir, for patronising this unique initiative, that was launched in 2013 as a commemoration of the historical pearl trade route. It is significant that on its second voyage, Fath Al Khair sailed to Mumbai, whereas its first voyage was to neighbouring Gulf countries.The multi-faceted engagement and partnership between India and Qatar has further intensified during the last year. The state visit of HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir, to India on March 24-25, 2015, at the invitation of Hon’ble President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, provided an excellent opportunity to both sides to engage at the highest level, and imparted fresh momentum to our bilateral ties.Ahead of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi wrote a letter to HH the Emir on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, and conveying India’s thanks for Qatar’s support for celebrations marking the First International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21, 2015. We deeply value the special gesture of the release of a commemorative stamp by Qatar Post on this occasion. HH the Emir and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi reviewed bilateral co-operation during their phone conversation on  November 2, 2015. HH the Emir renewed his invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Qatar; the Prime Minister thanked HH the Emir and reiterated his keenness to visit Qatar on mutually convenient dates. Smt. Sushma Swaraj, Hon’ble External Affairs Minister of India, and HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed al-Attiyah, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, co-chaired the India-GCC Ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the 70th UNGA in New York on September 30, 2015. There have also been other high level interactions between the two countries in recent months.As we join the celebrations of Qatar’s National Day, we are confident that India-Qatar partnership is poised to scale new heights in the months and years ahead.