President Droupadi Murmu with the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani during a banquet hosted in his honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu hosted a ceremonial banquet for Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday night and expressed satisfaction at the establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries.
In a special gesture, the President greeted him in front of the iconic Rampurva Bull statue placed near the steps of the grand complex, the Rashtrapati Bhavan said in a post on X.
The Amir of Qatar's two-day visit comes at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is his second state visit to India. He earlier visited India in March 2015.
"A warm welcome for a special friend! President Droupadi Murmu received His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar at Rashtrapati Bhavan. In a special gesture, President Murmu welcomed and greeted him in front of the iconic Rampurva Bull at the steps of the Rashtrapati Bhavan forecourt. The President also hosted a banquet in his honour," the Rashtrapati Bhavan said.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries, including members of the high-level delegation from Qatar attended the banquet.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan also shared some photographs of the ceremonial banquet.
"Speaking on the occasion, the President recalled the deep and historic ties between India and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the deepening of bilateral relations and establishment of strategic partnership between the two countries," it said.
Earlier in the day, the Amir of Qatar was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan as President Murmu welcomed the visiting leader. Modi was also present on the occasion.
Later, Modi and the Amir held talks at the Hyderabad House covering a range of bilateral issues.
The two leaders decided to elevate India-Qatar relations to a "strategic partnership" with focus on trade, investments, technology, energy and people-to-people ties, further cementing the "deep and traditional relationship" between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The office of vice president of India in a post on X said Dhankhar called on the Amir on Tuesday.
"Hon'ble Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar called on HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar in New Delhi today. The Hon'ble Vice-President gratefully recalled the warm reception accorded to him during his visit to Qatar for FIFA 2022.
"Discussions between the two leaders highlighted various aspects of bilateral relations between the two nations, including energy, trade, investment, culture and people-to-people ties. @TamimBinHamad @MEAIndia," it said.