Indian PM Modi’s visit to Qatar ‘significant,’ says experts

The upcoming visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Qatar holds a lot of significance as far as securing Indian's clean energy needs are concerned, according to New-Delhi based foreign policy experts.

Talking to Qatar Tribune, Dr Zakir Hussain, research fellow at the Indian Council of World Affairs, said that India's dependence on Qatar for securing clean energy needs will increase significantly in the years to come.

Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is expected to increase manifold in India as the country is committed to use clean energy for protecting environment, he said adding that Qatar as a reliable provider of LNG will prove to be a vital partner.

Currently, Qatar accounts for almost 65% of India's total LNG imports, he said, adding that the percentage will only increase as Qatar is one of the very few countries that is currently capable of supplying more gas on a long-term basis.

There are many LNG players in the market but Qatar's readiness to increase LNG supplies to India makes it special, he said.

Citing an example, he said, Iran has a lot of gas reserve but its production capacity is not enough to meet India's growing demand.

India is also not very excited about Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline as the gas reserves in Turkmenistan will hardly last for 10 years, he said.

In such a scenario, he said, the Modi government is banking heavily on Qatar to fulfil its growing energy needs.

The Indian government's decision to increase the use of LNG for commercial use from the current 6% to 18% in the next five years will drive LNG demand in the country.

Besides, India is also planning to start many gas-fired power plants which will require greater amount of LNG.

All these factors make Qatar a vital energy link for India, he said, adding that Modi might invite Qatar to build LNG terminals in India to receive gas exclusively from Qatar.

This step will prove beneficial for both the countries in the long run, Hussain said.

Echoing Hussain, another eminent Indian expert on foreign matters said that Qatar has a vital role to play in Modi's ambition to turn India into a manufacturing hub.

It is not only energy that will be high on Modi's agenda, he said, the Indian PM will also seek investment from Qatar for his 'Make in India' initiative.

He said that Modi will also seek more facilities and preference for Indian companies vying to enter Qatar for working on Fifa-related projects.

Contacted by Qatar Tribune, Union Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh said that Indian prime minister's visit to Qatar will be milestone in strengthening ties between the two countries.

Courtesy: Qatar-tribune.com