Kuwait Prime Minister being recieved by Minister of State of External Affairs E. Ahamed in Delhi
New Delhi:
Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah arrived in Delhi on Thursday on a four-day state visit, the first by a Kuwaiti head of government in 10 years.
The Kuwaiti prime minister was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed.
Sheikh Jaber is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and captains of industry.
This is the first head of government-level visit from Kuwait to India since the post of Crown Prince and prime minister was bifurcated in 2003.
Kuwait is a major supplier of India's energy needs with almost 10 per cent petrol imports sourced from the Gulf country.
India-Kuwait trade has doubled in the past three years, standing at $17 billion.
The visit comes at a time when both sides are planning to upgrade their ties from a buyer-seller relationship to a more strategic level, including in the fields of petrochemicals and fertilisers.
Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber is to call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Kuwaiti prime minister will also attend a business luncheon meeting jointly organised by the three business chambers - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India - on Friday. The delegation would also visit Agra.
Indians form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait at over 700,000.
The Kuwaiti prime minister was received at the airport by Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed.
Sheikh Jaber is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including ministers, senior officials and captains of industry.
This is the first head of government-level visit from Kuwait to India since the post of Crown Prince and prime minister was bifurcated in 2003.
Kuwait is a major supplier of India's energy needs with almost 10 per cent petrol imports sourced from the Gulf country.
India-Kuwait trade has doubled in the past three years, standing at $17 billion.
The visit comes at a time when both sides are planning to upgrade their ties from a buyer-seller relationship to a more strategic level, including in the fields of petrochemicals and fertilisers.
Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber is to call on President Pranab Mukherjee and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. He will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Kuwaiti prime minister will also attend a business luncheon meeting jointly organised by the three business chambers - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Indian Industry and Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India - on Friday. The delegation would also visit Agra.
Indians form the largest expatriate community in Kuwait at over 700,000.
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