Doha, June 5 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held talks with Qatar Emir Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani here, taking forward bilateral ties with an important Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member.

"Advancing a multi-sectoral partnership. PM Narendra Modi and Shikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani lead delegation level talks," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup tweeted.

Ahead of the talks, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Emiri Diwan here.

"The full splendour of an Arab welcome as PM Narendra Modi receives ceremonial honours at Emiri Diwan in Doha," Swarup said in another tweet.

Modi's is the first prime ministerial visit from India to energy-rich Qatar since the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's in 2008.

This is Modi's third visit to a GCC country. He visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia earlier.

Earlier on Sunday, Modi attended a meeting of Qatari business leaders and invited them to invest in India.

The Prime Minister, who arrived here on Saturday from Afghanistan on the second leg of his five-nation tour, visited a health camp organised for Indian workers here soon after his arrival.

He was later hosted for dinner by Qatari Prime Minister Abdullah Biv Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani.

After the bilateral talks, a number of agreements between the two sides are expected to be signed.

Modi will also interact with the Indian community here later in the day. Qatar is home to around 630,000 expatriate Indians -- comprising the single largest group of migrants in Qatar.

On Sunday evening, Modi will depart for Switzerland on the third leg of his tour that will also take him to the US and Mexico.