MoS Muraleedharan to visit Kuwait; will hold talks to deepen bilateral partnership

Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan will pay an official visit to Kuwait on August 23-24, 2023. This will be his second official visit as MoS External Affairs to Kuwait, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said as it announced the tour on Tuesday (August 22, 2023).

During the visit, MoS Muraleedharan will hold high level discussions with Kuwaiti Ministers and dignitaries. He will also interact with various Indian community organisations and a wide cross-section of members of the community including from the fields of business, health, education and other professionals, the MEA said.

India and Kuwait share historically warm and close bilateral ties. The relationship has been nourished by sustained cultural and civilizational linkages. According to official data, there are around 1 million Indians in Kuwait.

India is amongst the largest trading partners of Kuwait and Kuwait is a major supplier of oil for India. The bilateral trade reached an all time high of USD 13.8 billion in the last financial year.

"This visit is expected to further deepen the strong partnership between the two countries," the MEA noted.

Durung the fifth India-Kuwait Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in New Delhi on May 2, 2023, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of various aspects of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

While expressing satisfaction over the traditionally strong bilateral ties, India and Kuwait agreed to diversify cooperation in various areas, particularly trade and investment, education , science and high-technology, health, tourism, the MEA had said after the meeting.