On October 28, 2018, External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj set out for a 4-day foreign visit to the 2 countries of Qatar and Kuwait in the Gulf region.
Highlights:
i. As per schedule, she visited:
- State of Qatar on 28-29 October 2018 and
- State of Kuwait on 30-31 October 2018.
ii. This was Smt. Sushma Swaraj’s first visit as External Affairs Minister to both the countries.
iii. Kuwait joined the league of nations to celebrate #Bapuat150 in 2018.
2-day Visit of External Affairs Minister to State of Qatar
On October 28, 2018, External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj reached Doha, the capital of Qatar to start her 2 day visit.
Bilateral Meeting with Foreign Minister of Qatar:
i. She held delegation level talks with her counterpart H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
ii. Following were discussed:
- Signed a Declaration to establish Joint Commission at the level of External Affairs and Foreign Minister to periodically review progress in various cooperation initiatives.
- Qatari investments were invited in the areas including petrochemicals, infrastructure, agriculture and food processing.
Meeting with other delegates:
She called on His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar to strengthen bilateral relations in trade and investment.
Other News:
- In Doha, EAM addressed and interacted with over 500 representatives of the Indian community.
- A booklet titled ‘Welcome to Qatar’, prepared by the Embassy for Indians coming to Qatar for employment, was released by EAM at the event.
Background:
Bilateral trade between India and Qatar in 2017-18 was US$ 9.9 billion and Indian exports to Qatar during this period registered an increase of 87% over the previous year
Qatar:
♦ Capital: Doha.
♦ Currency: Qatari riyal.
2-day Visit of External Affairs Minister to Kuwait
On October 30, 2018, External Affairs Minister Smt. Sushma Swaraj reached Kuwait, the ‘Land of the Pearls’ to start her 2-day visit to the country.
Delegation-Level talks with Foreign Minister:
EAM held wide-ranging discussions with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The discussions are as follows:
- Bilateral cooperation including in areas of Trade & Investment, Defence and Labour issues,
- Kuwait accepted India’s invitation to join International Solar Alliance,
- Agreement on exemption of visa for holders of Diplomatic, Official and Special Passports,
- Agreement on recruitment of Domestic Workers.
Bilateral Talks with other delegates of Kuwait:
- EAM called on His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait.
- She also interacted with Kuwaiti Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamd Al-Sabah and held discussions for enhancing and further strengthening economic and investment cooperation.
Other News:
- She also addressed and interacted with the Indian Community in Kuwait at the event organized by the Embassy.
- She also paid floral tributes to the statue of Gandhiji at the Indian Embassy in Kuwait.
Background:
- During 2017-18, Kuwait was the ninth largest oil supplier to India and it meets about 4.6 per cent of India’s energy needs.
- Total bilateral trade with Kuwait during 2016-17 was USD 5.9 billion and for 2017-18 was USD 8.53 billion.
Kuwait:
♦ Capital: Kuwait City.
♦ Currency: Kuwaiti dinar.