PM Modi concludes Day 1 in Doha with banquet in his honour

Doha (Qatar): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Doha on the second leg of his five nation tour, ended his first day here with a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani.

He also attended a banquet held in his honour by Prime Minister Al Thani.

“1st day in Doha ends with a meeting with PM Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani who also holds banquet in PMs honour,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Prior to the grand dinner, the Prime Minister interacted with Indian workers at a medical camp in downtown Doha, where he assured them of taking up problems faced by them during his talks with leaders of Qatar.

“If you have some issues on changing some rules and regulations, I will work with you all to bring about these changes. Do work hard, but while doing so, please do focus on keeping your health and body fighting fit,” the Prime Minister said in his brief address.

Following his speech, he joined the workers for a quick bite as he moved from table to table interacting with them and asking them about their issues and problems.

“It was like meeting someone from our family, it got me teary-eyed. This is definitely a first in Indian history and other politicians should wonder why this didn’t happen sooner,” a worker from the medical camp told ANI here after interacting with the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Modi arrived here today after concluding the first leg of his trip in Afghanistan and was greeted by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Al Thani at the airport.

Upon landing in Qatar, Prime Minister Modi tweeted in Arabic saying that he was looking forward to the various programmes that will enhance the economy and relations between India and Qatar.

Asserting that India gave high priority to Qatar, he added that through his visit, he would be looking to expand the bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

While in Herat, Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani conferred Prime Minister Modi with the country’s highest civilian honour, the Amir Amanullah Khan Award.

President Ghani and Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the ‘Afghan-India Friendship Dam’, earlier known as the Salma Dam, which was rebuilt with India’s aid.

During his stay in Qatar, Prime Minister Modi is expected to sign a number of agreements with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

From Qatar, PM Modi will leave for Switzerland on Sunday. (ANI)