New Delhi, Aug 26 : India and Kuwait held the seventh round of Foreign Office Consultations in New Delhi on Tuesday to review bilateral ties. The officials of two nations discussed various ongoing initiatives and avenues to further deepen their strategic partnership in various sectors, including political, trade, investment, defence, energy, culture and people-to-people ties.

Aseem Mahajan, Additional Secretary (Gulf), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and Ambassador Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asia Affairs (AFM), Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, co-chaired the Foreign Office Consultations.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs stated, "During the meeting, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Both sides discussed the various ongoing initiatives and avenues to further deepen our strategic partnership in various spheres including political, trade, investment, defence, energy, culture and people to people ties."

"They will continue to work closely on implementation of the roadmap drawn out under the guidance of the leadership of both the countries during the visit of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to Kuwait in December 2024. It was decided to hold the meetings of the Joint Working Groups (JWGs) under the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) on mutually convenient dates, at the earliest," it added.

The two sides agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations in Kuwait at a mutually convenient date. Sameeh Essa Johar Hayat also called on Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA).

"India and Kuwait share close historical multifaceted relations. Bilateral trade between India and Kuwait stands at USD 10.2 billion per annum . The presence of over one million strong Indian community in Kuwait is a testament to the strong people-to-people ties," the MEA stated.

India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Kuwait following its independence in 1961. Prior to establishment of diplomatic ties, India was represented by a Trade Commissioner. The India-Kuwait relationship was upgraded to a 'Strategic Partnership' during PM Modi's visit to Kuwait in 2024.

/IANS