New Delhi, Oct.31 (ANI): Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah would visit India from November 7 to November 9 on the invitation of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah will visit India on invitation of our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from November 7 to November 9. This is the first visit of a head of government from Kuwait since they bifurcated the crown prince from the head of government," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told media here today.
He further said the last visit of a head of government from India to Kuwait was in 1981, when former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had visited the country.
"Of course, we have had other high level visits both from India to Kuwait as well as from Kuwait to India," he added.
Akbaruddin said that Kuwait is amongst India's largest suppliers of oil.
"We import something in the vicinity of 10-12 percent of our oil imports. The total bilateral trade between Kuwait and India is around 17 billion dollars of which 15 billion is oil," he said.
"We have a very large Indian community in Kuwait, it is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait and it is around 700,000," he added.
During his visit, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber will call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari, and will also hold bilateral talks with Manmohan Singh.
His other engagements would include meetings with Ministers of Finance, External Affairs and Commerce and Industry. Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber will also attend a business luncheon meeting jointly organised by the three business chambers, FICCI, CII and ASSOCHAM.
The Prime Minister of Kuwait and his delegation would also be visiting Agra.
India and Kuwait historically share friendly relations based on close people-to-people contacts.
Geographic proximity, historical trade links, cultural affinities and growing cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including energy security, trade and investment, infrastructure development projects, petrochemicals and education continue to strengthen and broaden this longstanding relationship.
Both countries are exploring enhanced cooperation in energy and other sectors through mutually beneficial investments in projects, including in oil exploration, refineries, petrochemical complexes and fertilizer plants. (ANI)
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