External Affairs Minister Jaishankar calls on Kuwait Prime Minister

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Kuwait Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Thursday and appreciated his commitment to taking the partnership between two countries to higher levels.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Kuwait on his first bilateral visit to the oil-rich Gulf nation early on Thursday, is also carrying a personal letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

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"Called on PM HH Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Conveyed our felicitations on the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Appreciated his commitment to taking our partnership to higher levels. Our historical ties have been reinforced through our joint fight against COVID19," Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs.

Upon his arrival at the airport here, Jaishankar was received by Acting Assistant Foreign Minister Abdul Razzaq Al-Khleefa and Ambassador Jassim Al-Najjem. Indian Ambassador Sibi George and senior Indian officials in Kuwait were also present at the airport.

His visit comes nearly three months after the two countries decided to establish a joint ministerial commission to formulate a framework to strengthen ties in sectors like energy, trade, investment, manpower and labour and information technology.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmed visited India in March during which both sides decided to set up the joint commission.

During the visit, Jaishankar will hold high-level meetings and also address the Indian community in Kuwait, the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi ahead of the visit.

There are over 10 lakhs Indians residing in Kuwait. India is amongst the largest trading partners of Kuwait and Kuwait is a major supplier of oil for India.

The year 2021-22 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait.

Kuwait has been supporting India in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic by supplying relief material as well as medical oxygen.

Indian Navy ships have brought a large quantity of medical oxygen from Kuwait in the last few weeks.