Prime Minister Narendra Modi met business leaders in Qatar on Sunday, urging them to invest in India as it is a "land of opportunity".
"India is a land of opportunity," he told Qatari business leaders in a roundtable conference in Doha. "I have come to personally invite you to take advantage of this opportunity."
He identified agro-processing, railways and solar energy as "very promising areas" for Qatari investment.
PM Narendra Modi at round table interaction with Qatar business leaders in Doha #ModiInQatarpic.twitter.com/FYuIgbeSTY
— ANI (@ANI_news) June 5, 2016
Modi, who is the first Indian PM to visit four countries in the Gulf within the space of one year, is intent on deepening business ties with the region. According to the external affairs ministry, India's trade with the region is $112 billion, and its bilateral trade with Qatar is $10 billion. Qatar is also India's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier, providing 65 percent of India's LNG requirements. About 6,30,000 Indians live in Qatar. Modi hopes to make Qatar "an important economic partner", according to the MEA.
On Sunday, Modi promised to address bottlenecks for business investment identified by the Qatari business leaders. He said that infrastructure expansion, their upgradation, and manufacturing are all his priorities.
"India's 800 million youth are its biggest strength," he said.
Business First. For first engagement of the day, PM attends roundtable meeting with Qatari Business Leaders pic.twitter.com/DOhpXGn8ZE
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 5, 2016
He said that India's projects for building 'smart cities', metros, urban waste management are geared towards upgrading quality of life of people.
Building a business coalition for India's development. PM @narendramodi with Qatari Business Leaders pic.twitter.com/mUSXPWOmTg
— Vikas Swarup (@MEAIndia) June 5, 2016