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From energy security to economic cooperation and people-to-people ties, India and Qatar are charting a deeper, future-facing partnership built on five decades of trust
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Qatar and India established diplomatic relations in the early 1970s. They celebrated 50 years of diplomatic ties in 2023, marking an important milestone in the multifaceted relationship that has evolved over five decades. Qatar-India relations deepened following His Highness the Amir’s state visit to India in March 2015, which gave a strong impetus to bilateral ties and laid the foundation for a new phase of relations. His most recent visit in February 2025 elevated the relationship between the two countries to a Strategic Partnership, with the signing of the “Agreement on the Establishment of Bilateral Strategic Partnership”, which included a pledge of US$10 billion of Qatari investment in India.
Qatar is a stable supplier of energy to India and has proved to be a reliable energy partner, contributing to the country’s energy security and supplying about 40 percent of its LNG imports.
In addition to diplomatic ties, the countries have strong linkages in the economic and people-to-people spheres. Qatar-India bilateral trade stands at about US$ 14-15 billion annually, making India Qatar’s second-largest trading partner. Qatar is a stable supplier of energy to India and has proved to be a reliable energy partner, contributing to the country’s energy security and supplying about 40 percent of its LNG imports. India has steadily increased its exports to Qatar in diversified areas (from food products to construction materials), which have nearly doubled over the last decade. As leaders of both countries have recently stated, “there is both the will and potential” in the two countries to boost and diversify mutual trade and investment ties, particularly in energy, technology, healthcare, food processing, pharma and green hydrogen sectors. On the people-to-people front, Qatar currently has roughly 20,000 Indian SME firms operating, and the country hosts a sizeable Indian community of approximately 800,000 people (the largest expatriate population in the country). Initiatives such as the recently held inaugural meeting of the Joint Business Council can facilitate these ties by bringing together businessmen and ideas from both countries on a single platform.
Qatar views India as an important and strategic partner.
The overarching framework guiding the initiatives and policies for the State of Qatar is the guiding principles captured in Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). This vision seeks to develop Qatar’s economy sustainably to remain competitive amidst a turbulent and rapidly changing global landscape. This evolving global landscape includes the geopolitical shift from a unipolar world to a multipolar one, wherein economic and political relationships are transforming. As some countries grapple with demographic challenges and deindustrialisation, others are expanding their global economic footprint and political influence. An appreciation of India's growth and development potential reflects Qatar's keenness to explore the possibility of entering a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, aiming to double bilateral trade between the two countries by 2030. An enabling factor for this includes the opening of the Qatar Investment Authority’s office in India, along with the above-noted commitment to invest US$ 10 billion in India through FDI and FII in different sectors, including infrastructure, technology, manufacturing, food security, logistics, hospitality, and other areas of mutual interest.
An appreciation of India's growth and development potential reflects Qatar's keenness to explore the possibility of entering a bilateral Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, aiming to double bilateral trade between the two countries by 2030.
Conversely, Qatar’s economic growth will continue to provide opportunities for Indian investment, entrepreneurship, and employment. This includes diversifying the partnership, broadening the historical ties of energy trade, labour, and remittance, while also exploring new areas of mutual investment such as tourism, technology, and sustainability transitions. Qatar is committed to diversifying its economy in several strategic areas, including leading technology sectors such as artificial intelligence. India will find a very reliable partner in Qatar to explore opportunities to invest and collaborate in these sectors.
Qatar is now India's largest supplier of liquefied natural gas, accounting for 40 percent of the country’s total LNG imports. In February 2024, the two nations signed a long-term agreement worth US$ 78 billion to export 7.5 million tonnes of Qatar’s LNG to India annually for 20 years, starting 2028. This supports India’s energy transformation with a consistent and reliable supply of cleaner energy. Both countries have significant synergy for enhanced energy cooperation as India is targeting a 15 percent share of gas in its energy mix, and Qatar will be inaugurating landmark projects that will raise its local and international LNG production to 160 million tonnes annually (MTA) in a few years from the current output of 77 MTA. The Qatari energy expansion is supported by a sustainable competitive advantage that ensures it can weather storms in the economy and industry. The factors contributing to this sustainable advantage are: First, its stable geopolitical positioning, both in the Middle East region and globally. Second, it enjoys certain natural competitive advantages, such as its favourable geographical location. It also enjoys one of the lowest unit costs of LNG production, ensuring it will remain profitable even if gas prices significantly decline. It has a sizeable fleet of LNG carriers and a tremendous LNG production capacity (second globally, only to the United States) that offers considerable advantages accompanying economies of scale. Qatar is much better placed than any other major gas supplier to withstand fluctuations in the global gas market and can easily adjust the flow of exports in response to prevailing market demands.
The Qatari energy expansion is supported by a sustainable competitive advantage that ensures it can weather storms in the economy and industry.
Building upon more than five decades of Qatar-India ties, the next fifty years hold promise for a deepened partnership via the pursuit of mutual interest and solidarity. The two nations are acutely aware of the importance of regional peace and stability, which in turn fosters economic prosperity and human development. Leveraging the strengths of both nations and the deep ties (diplomatic, economic, and human-to-human) between them, 2025 marks a significant milestone in strengthening the relationship between the two nations.
Logan Cochrane is an Associate Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University's College of Public Policy and a Senior Research Associate at the Global Institute for Strategic Research
Mudassar Ali Baig is a Research Fellow at the Global Institute for Strategic Research
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Dr. Logan Cochrane is an Associate Professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University's College of Public Policy. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Cochrane has built ...
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Mudassar Ali Baig is a Research Fellow at GISR, specialising in geopolitical and geoeconomic trends with an Arab regional lens. With over 15 years of ...
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