Piyush Goyal to visit Qatar for India-Qatar joint trade commission meeting

New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal will visit Doha, Qatar, on October 6 for a two-day meeting of the Qatar-India Joint Commission on Trade and Commerce, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry said on Sunday.

The meeting will be co-chaired by H.E. Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry.

During the visit, both sides are expected to discuss the proposed India–Qatar Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The talks will focus on finalising the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which aims to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

This will be Goyal’s first visit to Qatar, where discussions are likely to cover a wide range of issues including bilateral trade performance, existing trade barriers, and non-tariff challenges.

The two nations are also expected to explore new opportunities to boost trade and investment flows. Goyal will be accompanied by senior officials from various ministries.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in a statement that the visit highlights India’s commitment to deepening its trade and investment relationship with Qatar.

"This visit underscores the importance that India attaches to its trade and investment ties with Qatar, one of our important trading partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) with bilateral trade estimated at over USD 14 billion in 2024-25," the ministry said.

Qatar is one of India’s key trading partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with bilateral trade valued at over $14 billion in 2024–25.

Goyal is also likely to hold discussions on cooperation in several sectors such as finance, agriculture, environment, tourism, culture, and healthcare.

On the sidelines of the visit, he will meet prominent Qatari dignitaries and leading businessmen from the Qatar Chamber and the Qatari Businessmen Association.