Doha (Qatar)

"India-Qatar ties have progressed after Prime Minister Narendra Modi motivated the 'Look West' policy. He has taken a personal interest in engaging with the Qatar leadership," he said while interacting with the Indian community.

Vice President Naidu who is on the last leg of his three-country visit launched the "India-Qatar Start-Up bridge" to link the start-up ecosystems of the two countries at the India-Qatar Business Forum on Sunday. He also visited the Qatar National Museum in Doha.

Mr Naidu also addressed members of the business community at India-Qatar Business Forum during his visit and called for building an enabling environment and forging more collaborations for mutual benefit.

The Vice President highlighted the exchanges that have paved the way for a special relationship between both the countries. India’s ties with Qatar have evolved over centuries through people-to-people and cultural exchanges. "We have now a very robust India-Qatar economic partnership and it is getting enriched with each passing day," he said, adding that bilateral trade between India and Qatar has seen steady progress.

The Vice President said Qatar Investment Authority has committed investments of over USD 2 billion in Indian companies in the last two years.

During this visit, the Vice President is being accompanied by Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Sushil Kumar Modi, Member of Parliament, Vijay Pal Singh Tomar, Member of Parliament, P. Raveendranath, Member of Parliament and senior officials from the Vice President's Secretariat and the Ministry of External Affairs.