India and Qatar Accelerate Trade and Investment Agreements
India and Qatar agreed to fast-track a Free Trade Agreement and a Bilateral Investment Treaty during high-level talks in Doha.
Nirmala Sitharaman, India's Finance Minister, and Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, met in Doha on September 30, 2026, to accelerate negotiations for a Bilateral Investment Treaty and a Free Trade Agreement. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank Annual Meeting.
The two nations discussed the implementation of a USD 10 billion Qatari investment commitment and the planned establishment of a Qatar Investment Authority office in India. Minister Al-Sayed identified specific opportunities in India's power, highway, airport, and port sectors, while noting that Indian firms could expand into Qatar's healthcare, education, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food security industries.
During the talks, Sitharaman emphasized the need to restore normal trade with Gulf nations. She specifically called for unimpeded commerce and maritime navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure economic stability.
