Thursday 26 / December / 2024
Kuwait City : The Indian Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh Swaika, has affirmed the depth of the bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, according to Al-Qabas Daily.
Praising Kuwait’s pivotal role in various regional issues earlier this week, the Indian envoy to the Gulf nation said Kuwait has followed a policy of neutrality in the region and has played an important role in the issues related to countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
It is implementing a number of social and economic development projects in many developing countries, especially through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, and is at the forefront of countries in providing humanitarian aid around the world, something that is highly appreciated by the international community, Al-Qabas Daily quoted the Indian envoy as saying in its report.
The ambassador said, “We look forward to high-level visits from both sides to strengthen these historical relations between our two countries due to their importance in providing an opportunity to reach mutual understandings and agreements on important issues.”
On the date of the joint committee meeting between the two countries, he said the date and place have not yet been decided as it will depend on the visit of any of the foreign ministers of the two countries, Al-Qabas Daily reported.
Ambassador Swaika also dwelt on the steady bilateral consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries, such as those held in New Delhi during the first week of May after a gap of almost four years, and the first multilateral consultations between India, Kuwait and the United Nations in the first week of June in Kuwait, the daily reported.
On the corporation between the two countries on the security front, the Indian envoy said, "The defence and security relations have so far been limited to training and medical cooperation. Four Indian ships visited Kuwait in July and October of last year. An Indian warship (ANS Visakhapatnam guided missile destroyer) is expected to visit Kuwait in August."
"Commercially, there is growth in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries. Our bilateral trade amounting to USD 13.8 billion for the period 2022-2023 recorded its highest levels ever, with an increase of 12.8 per cent on an annual basis. The main potential area of cooperation is in the field of Kuwaiti investments in India, which provides an attractive investment and financial climate," he noted further.
Underlining the significant contribution of the Indian community to bolstering the Kuwaiti economy, Ambassador Swaika said the bilateral memorandum of understanding regarding domestic workers was signed in June 2021, Al-Qabas Daily reported.
A decree was issued by the Kuwaiti side in April 2022 to implement the MoU, which contains provisions enumerating the legal rights and obligations of both the employer and the employee. Therefore it is important to adhere to these provisions for both parties, the report noted.
The proper implementation of the MoU by both sides could lead to resolving most of the problems, the report stated, adding that the embassy has been keen to disseminate information related to legal immigration procedures so that Indians, who intend to come to work in Kuwait, do not fall into the hands of illegal sponsors.
The ambassador stressed the keenness of the Union government to work on developing skills among its citizens to enhance their employability in the international labour market, by establishing training programs and cooperating with the private sector to identify and enhance the required skills, Al-Qabas Daily reported.
He indicated that the agreed price for hiring domestic workers was determined, taking into account the minimum wage in Kuwait as per Indian labour requirements.
Ambassador Swaika informed that the fees for recruiting domestic workers, which are stipulated by the government-approved employment agency in India, is INR 35,400, which is equivalent to KD 145. There are separate fees for a clearance certificate (certificate of proof of criminal status) which costs KD 2, and a medical certificate from accredited medical test centres in India at KD 20.
Ambassador Swaika added, “Educational and academic cooperation is one area in which we have not been able to harness the synergies between us and Kuwait to a large extent. There are 26 schools in Kuwait that follow the Indian CBSE curriculum with more than 50,000 students of different nationalities. However, the same does not apply to higher education."
"Kuwaiti students have been receiving their higher education in India since as early as 2009-2010, but this seems to be relatively stalled at the present time. We look forward to strengthening cooperation in this field, especially since the Indian education sector has made a real leap," the daily quoted the Indian Ambassador as saying.
He added that he considers Kuwait’s accession as a partner in the dialogue with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the Indian presidency as a welcome step.
“The area of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has not yet covered any of the countries in the Middle East. The entry of Iran as a full member and the entry of Kuwait and the Arab Emirates will add to the organization’s deliberations an essential value," the ambassador said.
Most of the discussions in the organisation are related to combating terrorism and ensuring regional security, which also closely pertains to this region, the report noted.
The Indian Ambassador, on Sunday, called on the Information Minister of the State of Kuwait, Abdulrahman B Almutairi. The focus of the discussions was on deepening cultural and media cooperation, including participation in cultural events, museum cooperation, media exchanges and tourism potential, according to the report.
"Amb @AdarshSwaika1 called on the Information Minister of the State of Kuwait H.E Abdulrahman B Almutairi. Focus of the discussions was on deepening cultural and media cooperation, including participation in cultural events, museum cooperation, media exchanges, tourism potential etc," read a post on India in Kuwait, the official Twitter handle of the Indian embassy in the Gulf country.
