Doha, Jun 4 (IANS) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday arrived in Qatar on a two-day visit on the second leg of his five-nation tour.
"Namaste Qatar! Its wheels down in Doha as PM Narendra Modi arrives for the second leg of his journey," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.
Welcome to Doha
This is the second prime ministerial visit from India to Qatar in eight years after then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in 2008.
Modi visited an Indian workers' camp later in the day. Of the around 630,000 expatriate Indians in Qatar, many are blue collar workers.
He will also be hosted for dinner by Qatari Prime Minister Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani on Saturday evening.
Modi flew in from Afghanistan, where earlier on Saturday, he, along with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the Afghan-India Friendship Dam, also known as Salma Dam, in the western province of Herat.
On Sunday, he will begin his engagements in Qatar with a meeting with business leaders following which he will hold a restricted meeting with Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani.
Bilateral trade between India and Qatar stands at $10 billion.
"It (Qatar) can also be a large economic partner as it has a large sovereign wealth fund," Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said on Friday ina pre-departure media briefing.
After Qatar, Modi will also visit Switzerland, the US and Mexico.
Will take up problems faced by Indian workers in Qatar: PM
Doha, Jun 4 (PTI) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi tonight assured Indian workers in Qatar that he will take up problems faced by them during his talks with leaders of this Gulf nation.
Addressing Indian workers at a medical camp in downtown Doha, Modi said he is aware of the issues being faced by Indian workers and the companies that bring them here.
At Indian workers' camp
"I am aware of the issues you are facing. I will talk about it when I meet the authorities," he said. Modi will hold detailed talks with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani tomorrow.
Modi noted that his first engagement during his two-day visit to Qatar on the second leg of his five-nation tour was a visit to the camp of Indian workers here.
"I came to Doha in the evening and the first programme on my schedule was to meet you all," he said. Qatar is home to over six lakh people of Indian origin.
Modi also interacted with workers after his brief address and shared refreshments with them. He shook hands with several workers during his 30-minute stay at the camp.
The prime minister said he wants to congratulate doctor friends for the good work they are doing in Qatar. "Happy to see regular health check ups being conducted here," he said.
Modi also struck a chrod with the Indian workers when he said, "When someone from your land, speaking your language comes, I am sure that would make you very happy."
"If you have some issues on changing some rules and regulations, I will work with you all to bring about these changes," he told the audience.
Modi said he believed that the leadership in the Gulf has a lot of love and belief in the Indian community in the region.
In this context, he spoke about the visit of Qatar's Emir to India last year and referred to his praise of the "unmatched contribution" of the Indian community to the development of his coutnry.
Modi also said India's global image is not made by its prime minister or its Ambassador but, "it's all of you through your behaviour, who earn India a good name." "This global goodwill is the biggest international reserve currency," he added.