NEW DELHI: As India struggled to contain the diplomatic fallout of the controversial remarks by BJP functionaries targeting the Prophet, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu held a series of meetings with Qatar leaders to boost bilateral ties in Doha. One of his meetings though, in the form of a lunch by deputy Amir Sheik Abdullah Bin Ahmed al Thani on Saturday, was called off at the last moment.
Official sources said this had nothing to do with the developments on Saturday related to the summoning of the Indian ambassador for the comments against the Prophet. It is learnt that the Qatar side had conveyed to India on Friday that the banquet won’t take place because of a “medical reason” related to the hosts. Qatar, however, is upset over the targeting of the Prophet and has said it expects a public apology from the Indian government.
According to MEA, Naidu called on Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and also met the Prime Minister and minister of interior, Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani at Amiri Diwan. “Both sides positively assessed the developments in bilateral relations and agreed to further strengthen their historic friendship in all areas,” said the MEA.
“They agreed that high level engagement should be sustained, including through an early visit of Qatar’s Amir to India. Both sides also looked forward to the convening of the Joint Commission between the two sides at Foreign Minister level later this year. Both sides also agreed to promote bilateral parliamentary exchanges,” it added. Father Amir was said to have recalled the historic relations between both countries which are based on mutual trust and appreciated the contribution of the Indian community in the development of Qatar.