India discusses with Qatar welfare of its citizens there

India on Saturday discussed with Qatar the issue of welfare of its citizens in the Gulf nation.

In wide-ranging talks between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the two sides also deliberated on ways to deepen cooperation in areas of energy, trade and investment.

The External Affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said bilateral issues, including welfare of Indian workers in Qatar were discussed in the talks between Swaraj and Al Thani.

As per estimates, over 600,000 Indian nationals are currently working in Qatar.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani had visited New Delhi in December during which India had expressed keenness to invest in hydrocarbon projects in the Gulf nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Qatari counterpart had also discussed enhancing cooperation in defence and security and agreed on joint action to tackle money laundering and terrorist financing.

Official sources said expanding cooperation in sectors such as energy, trade and investment were dicussed in Saturday's meeting.