Sitharaman gets warm welcome in Qatar, holds bilateral talks with six finance ministers

India's role in driving infrastructure development, clean energy and sustainable economic growth around the world continues to grow. In this context, Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has arrived in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to take part in the 11th Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the "AIIB Investors' Dialogue 2026".

At Hamad International Airport in Doha, India's Ambassador to Qatar, Shrikar Reddy Koppula, gave her an official and warm welcome. The finance minister's three-day visit is being seen as significant for India.

India is AIIB's second-largest shareholder, which gives it an important role and standing on this international platform. Sitharaman will attend the meeting in the capacity of India's Governor at the bank. During her time in Qatar, she will hold high-level bilateral meetings with the AIIB president as well as the finance ministers of Jordan, Switzerland, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Nepal. These meetings will include detailed discussions on boosting economic cooperation with these countries and raising funds for infrastructure worldwide.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a multilateral development bank that works to improve social and economic conditions in Asia and beyond. Headquartered in Beijing, the bank began operations in January 2016 with capital of 100 billion dollars. It currently has 111 recognised member countries. The bank mainly provides large-scale funding for transport systems, roads, digital networks, water systems and clean energy projects. It also works to build partnerships with private investors to accelerate major government and private development projects.

During her visit to Qatar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also hold talks with Qatar's top government leadership as well as leading industrialists, business figures and major investors. Bilateral ties between India and Qatar, especially in the energy sector, are strong and strategic. India's leading company Petronet LNG and QatarEnergy have signed a 20-year long-term LNG supply agreement. Under this agreement, Qatar will supply India with an assured 7.5 million tonnes of LNG every year between 2028 and 2048. The visit is expected to further strengthen this energy agreement between the two countries and open new avenues for trade and investment in other sectors.

India has placed considerable emphasis on infrastructure development in recent years. India's position as the second-largest shareholder in AIIB, along with its growing engagement with investors worldwide, is helping speed up its domestic development projects. The conference is expected to play an important role in drawing international capital for improvements in digital infrastructure, green energy and the transport sector.

These important meetings and discussions in Qatar are set to give a new direction not just to political ties between India and Qatar but also to their economic and strategic relationship. At a time of global economic slowdown and challenges, this kind of multilateral and bilateral engagement is expected to prove beneficial for India's sustained economic growth.