Kuwait City: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Sunday on a day-long visit during which he will hold talks with the Kuwaiti leadership on various aspects of India-Kuwait bilateral relations. Jaishankar was received by his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on his arrival in the country.
"Namaste Kuwait. Thank FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya for the warm welcome. Looking forward to my engagements today with the Kuwaiti leadership," Jaishankar posted on X.
Jaishankar calls on Kuwaiti PM, Crown Prince
Later in the day, Jaishankar met Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and discussed ways to take the bilateral ties to a higher level.
"Pleased to call on His Highness Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of Kuwait. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi,” Jaishankar said in a post on X. “Appreciated his perspectives on the deepening of India-Kuwait ties. Valued his views in regard to further economic cooperation,” he added.
His visit will enable both sides to review various aspects of India-Kuwait bilateral relations including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural, consular and people-to-people contacts, as well as exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement ahead of the visit.
The visit came nearly two months after 45 Indians had died in a devastating fire at a building in Kuwait. At least 49 foreign workers were killed and 50 others injured in the fire in June at the seven-storey building in Kuwait's Mangaf.
Jaishanakar earlier called on Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah and sought his insights on taking the bilateral ties to a higher level.
"Honoured to call on His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, the Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait. Conveyed the greetings of the President and Prime Minister,” he said in another post n X.
“India and Kuwait share centuries-old bonds of goodwill and friendship. Our contemporary partnership is expanding steadily. Thank him for his guidance and insights on taking our ties to a higher level," Jaishankar added.
Kuwaiti officials suspended
Engineer Saud Al-Dabbous, the Director General of Kuwait Municipality, suspended several key officials, including the Deputy Director General for Hawalli and Al-Ahmadi Governorate Affairs, the Acting Director of the Al-Ahmadi Municipality Branch, the Director of the Audit, Follow-up, and Engineering Department, and the Head of the Violations Removal Department in Al-Ahmadi, Arab Times daily reported. "These suspensions were enacted in the interest of public safety, pending the completion of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident," the paper said.
