It will be our endeavour to strengthen community bodies: Ambassador
Published: 15 August 2024
By Hussain Ahmad
Ambassador of India to Qatar, Mr Vipul, joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1998. He has served in Indian missions in Cairo, Colombo, Geneva and Dubai. In his diplomatic career, he has dealt with diverse areas, including political and commercial relations, development, disarmament, international security and media.
He graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1994, and also holds an MBA degree from Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
Mr. Vipul worked as Director/Joint Secretary with External Affairs Minister of India between 2014-2017. Subsequently, he was Consul General of India in Dubai between 2017-20. He worked as Joint Secretary (Gulf) in Ministry of External Affairs from 2020-2023. He presented his credentials as Ambassador of India to Qatar to His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on 17th August 2023.
On the occasion of the 78th Independence Day of India, Vipul spoke to News Trail, in an exclusive interview, on India’s great strides in various fields, the strength of India-Qatar relations, and his priorities as an ambassador.
- As India celebrates its 78th Independence Day, what do you think are our nation’s greatest achievements?
First of all, I would like to convey my greetings to all your readers on the auspicious occasion of Independence Day of India. Our country has many successes to showcase over the past almost eight decades of our independence. The biggest of these, I would say, is our thriving democracy which was again in full display, especially this year. We held the biggest elections that the world has ever seen with almost 969 million Indian electorate participating in the polls. Our other successes include robust economic growth and impressive achievements in various fields such as S&T and IT. In recent years, there has also been great progress in financial inclusion and digital empowerment of people. PM Modi who just began his third consecutive term has set the vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 and we all should work towards that goal.
2. For Indian diaspora living abroad, including in Qatar, Independence Day is a special moment to reconnect with and reinforce their love for their motherland. What are your thoughts in this regard and what are the events the embassy and the community are planning?
I agree that occasions like Independence Day provide special moments for the Indian community abroad to reinforce their love for India. It is an occasion to pay homage to the leaders of our freedom struggle, celebrate our achievements and recommit to contributing to the progress and prosperity of our country. It is also a time to show our gratitude to the leadership of Qatar for hosting the large Indian community. Several programmes are planned by the Embassy and community organisations this year to celebrate Independence Day. Our main programme is being held at the Indian Cultural Centre in the morning of August 15 where we will hoist the Tiranga (tricolour) and have a cultural programme celebrating the occasion.
3. India-Qatar relations have been on a permanent upswing whose foundation rests on solid relations between Indians and Qataris that date back to centuries ago. How do you find these relations evolving?
The relations between our two countries are historic and our friendship has continued to expand in all areas making it multifaceted. This year was especially remarkable for our bilateral relations as Prime Minister Modi paid his second official visit to Qatar in February 2024 and had excellent meetings with High Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as well as the Father Amir and Prime Minister of Qatar. Our External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar also visited Qatar on June 30, 2024. Qatar’s Minister of Energy visited India in February and both sides renewed an agreement for the supply of 7.5 million tons of LNG from Qatar to India for 20 years starting 2028. We have also had several high-level official meetings in the field of trade and investment over the past few months. I am sure that this momentum in high-level visits will continue in future taking our relationship further in different areas including political, trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people ties.
4. As an ambassador, what have been your priorities, first, as a diplomat in charge of the welfare of the Indian population in Qatar, and second, as a diplomat who is entrusted with advancing relations with Qatar?
It is a great honour for me to represent India as Ambassador in Qatar. Naturally, my effort has been to build our friendly relations in all areas. Over the past one year, I am happy that we have moved forward in terms of high-level political and business contacts, investments, energy, community issues as well as other areas. We are also looking forward to expanding our cooperation in new areas such as innovation, fintech, AI and sustainability as per the priorities set by both countries. As for the Embassy, we have tried to provide efficient delivery of consular services to the Indian community and have an open-door policy to ensure the welfare of the Indian community. We are also deeply thankful to the Qatari authorities for their support in this regard.
5. Within a short period after assuming responsibilities, you have endeared yourself to the Indian community in Qatar. What has been driving this success?
I firmly believe that our people are our best representatives abroad and truly exemplify India’s unity in diversity. I have, therefore, strived to interact with as many community groups as possible, celebrating festivals like Eid, Onam and Diwali and attending socio-cultural programmes like medical camps, education fairs, Mango Festival, Passage to India and Yoga Day. I hope to keep my close connection with the entire Indian community. This also helps me understand their needs and expectations better so that we can accordingly take corrective actions if required.
6. Any special services you are planning to launch for Indian expats in Qatar – consular or otherwise – in areas where you find there is scope for improvement?
We will continue to provide consular services to the Indian community in the best manner possible. It will also be our endeavour to further strengthen the Indian community organisations such as ICC, ICBF, IBPC and ISC who have provided stellar support to our people over the past many years.
