As of September 6, 2025, India and Qatar are in the final stages of forming an advanced bilateral trade agreement which will impose tariff reductions on essential exports and imports. For India, these goods will be engineering goods, textiles, and pharmaceuticals. As for Qatar, they benefit from natural gas, aluminum, and petrochemicals. Before the agreement Qatar was already a large investor in Indian energy and infrastructure. So by enacting the FTA, Qatar will be more incentivised to invest as the FTA offers further investment protections and dispute resolution strategies. Apart from India’s and Qatar’s FTA, India is currently working through another trade agreement with the EU (European Union) that enacts free trade and investment agreements. Although this contract benefits both parties, India will be gaining more substantial aid as the EU is their 3rd largest trading partner, while the EU values India as their 10th largest trading partner. On a separate note, India forming two trade agreements at the same time can cause some positive and negative effects. Positively, Qatar is the largest LNG (liquified natural gas) supplier for India, this relationship can cause the EU to reduce their reliance on Russian gas and stabilize their LNG markets. More importantly, India acts as a bridge between the EU and Qatar, opening possibilities to re-export goods from one side to the other or become a hub for services and investments. Overall bolstering their economy and national income. Yet, this can create potential conflicts within energy politics. If India is getting a better deal through Qatar with their LNG, then the EU may pressure Qatar for similar terms. A balancing act for Qatar might also be difficult if they find themselves exporting the majority of their LNG’s. If managed carefully, both of these agreements can create a key bridge between India, Europe, and Qatar that can shape the flow of energy trade throughout most continents.
