India and Qatar have agreed to expedite negotiations on a Bilateral Investment Treaty and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) while simultaneously advancing Qatar’s USD 10 billion investment commitment and plans to set up a Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) office in India, according to an official statement by the Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry announced via its official X account that Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met with Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, on the sidelines of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) 2026 Annual Meeting in Doha.

During the meeting, the Qatari Minister highlighted prospective investment avenues within India’s infrastructure sectors, specifically ports, airports, highways, and power.

Concurrently, he pointed to significant opportunities for Indian firms in Qatar spanning food security, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, education, healthcare, and start-ups.

The Ministry noted that both delegates discussed the "implementation of the USD 10 billion Qatari investment commitment and establishment of a QIA office in India."

Additionally, both sides "expressed keen interest in completing the Bilateral Investment Treaty with Qatar, for which they decided on accelerated engagement, as well as the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations."

Furthermore, Sitharaman emphasized the critical need to normalize bilateral and regional trade between India, Qatar, and other Gulf nations, underscoring the necessity of ensuring unimpeded maritime navigation and commercial transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a separate engagement, Sitharaman addressed the Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Business Roundtable in Doha, where the Indian delegation outlined the nation's strong macroeconomic expansion and investment climate.

The Ministry stated that India’s real GDP growth accelerated to 7.8 percent in the first quarter of FY26, alongside an 11.9 percent surge in investment, illustrating economic resilience despite prevailing global uncertainties.

"The recent upgrade by Japan Credit Rating (JCR) of India’s long-term issuer rating from BBB+ to A- was also highlighted as a reflection of confidence in India’s ongoing structural reforms," the Ministry added, noting that the country logged its "highest-ever" annual gross Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow of USD 94.53 billion in FY26—a 15-year peak.

Throughout the interactive forum, Sitharaman discussed emerging economic prospects in both nations and urged Qatari commercial entities to proactively pursue trade and investment ventures with India to solidify bilateral economic relations.

Source: ANI