Doha/New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday held a discussion with her Qatar counterpart Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari on the implementation of the $10 billion Qatari investment commitment in India and the finalisation of the Bilateral Investment Treaty.
At the meeting held on the sidelines of the AIIB 2026 annual meeting in Doha, the two Finance Ministers also discussed the expansion of Indian UPI payments across Qatar and the Gulf nation’s engagement with the National Infrastructure and Investment Fund of India, according to a Finance Ministry statement.
The ministers also discussed the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement as a strengthened framework for trade, investment, and tax certainty between the two countries.
The Finance Minister appreciated the excellent arrangements for the AIIB Annual Meeting. She recalled India’s recent engagements with Qatar’s leadership, which elevated India-Qatar bilateral relations to a “strategic partnership”.
Al Kuwari thanked the Indian community for being part of the success story of Qatar. He looked forward to bigger opportunities for strengthening trade, finance and investment relations between the two countries, the statement added.
Finance Minister Sitharaman is on a three-day visit to Qatar to participate in the 11th annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
She also attended other important bilateral meetings with the AIIB President and her counterparts from Switzerland, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Nepal.
The Finance Minister is participating in the annual meeting of AIIB, in her capacity as the Indian Governor to the AIIB. India is the second largest shareholder of the bank.
The AIIB is a multilateral development bank that finances building projects, like roads, green energy, and water systems, to improve economic and social conditions in Asia and globally. The bank, headquartered in Beijing, started operations in January 2016 with a capital of $100 billion. The bank has 111 approved member countries from around the world. India is one of the founding members and its second-largest shareholder.
(IANS)
