Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his way back home from the two-day visit to UAE, will travel to Qatari capital Doha on February 14. The announcement comes on the day when Qatar relased eight Indian Navy veterans who were jailed there on charges of espionage.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, while speaking to journalists said Prime Minister Modi had personally supervised developments in the case. “We are gratified by Qatar’s decision to release the Indians,” he said.
Mr. Modi and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, is expected to hold wide-ranging talks to further expand bilateral ties. Both the leaders has briefly met during the COP28 summit in Dubai last year.
Mr. Modi will be visiting United Arab Emirates on February 13 and 14. Mr. Modi will be inaugurating BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi.
During his stay, Mr. Modi will meet with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who serves as the Vice-President, Defence Minister and the Prime Minister of the UAE. “At his invitation, the Prime Minister will participate in the World Government Summit 2024 to be held in Dubai as guest of honour and deliver a special keynote address at the summit,” said the MEA in an announcement.
The BAPS Hindu Mandir has come up on around 27 acres of land in Abu Dhabi and the work for the structure has been going on since 2019. The land for the temple was donated by the UAE government.
This will be the seventh visit of Mr. Modi to the Gulf nation, third in the last eight months.
(With inputs from PTI)
