Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has met Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Dubai on the margins of United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference (COP28).
“We had a good conversation on the potential of bilateral partnership and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar,” Modi said on Saturday.
The meeting marks the first leadership-level contact between the two countries since Qatar’s ‘Court of First Instance’ awarded the death penalty to eight Indian Navy sailors in October, including seven officers.
The Indians were arrested by Qatar's top intelligence agency State Security Bureau last August.
The Indian foreign ministry has revealed that the death row inmates were employees of a company called Al-Dahra, which has now closed down operations.
Days after the Qatar court announced the verdict, Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar met the families of the eight Indians in Qatar’s custody.
The top Indian diplomat told the families that New Delhi was according to the “highest importance” to the case.
“We fully share the concerns and pain of the families. We underlined that the Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. We coordinate closely with the families in that regard," Jaishankar stated after the meeting.
Last week, the Qatari court accepted the Indian government’s appeal against the death penalty.
The date of the next hearing is yet to be announced.