Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: THE seventh round of Foreign Office Consultations on strengthening strategic partnership between India and Kuwait was held in New Delhi recently., The two countries discussed further increasing cooperation in many areas like political, trade, investment, defence, energy, culture and people-to-people contact.
The meeting was co-chaired by Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf) in the Ministry of External Affairs and Sameh Eisa Johar Hayat, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asia Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, a comprehensive review of bilateral relations was done in the meeting and views were exchanged on regional and international issues.
It was also decided in the meeting that both sides will continue to work together on the implementation of the roadmap made during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kuwait in December 2024. Also, it was agreed to hold meetings of the joint working groups formed under the Joint Commission as soon as possible. The officials also decided that the next Foreign Office Consultations meeting will be held in Kuwait on a mutually agreed date. During this, Sameh Isa Johar Hayat also met Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Ministry of External Affairs informed that India and Kuwait have had historical and multifaceted relations. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached US$ 10.2 billion in the financial year 2024-25.
At the same time, more than one million Indian community living in Kuwait is an example of strong people-to-people relations between the two countries. It is noteworthy that India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Kuwait after gaining independence in 1961. Earlier India was represented there through a Commerce Commissioner. During Prime Minister Modi’s visit in December 2024, the relations between the two countries were upgraded to the level of ‘strategic partnership’.
