Krishna to leave for Kuwait today

New Delhi, Feb 3 (ANI): External Affairs Minister SM Krishna will embark a two-day visit to Kuwait from today.

Krishna, accompanied by a number of senior officials, will be visiting the country at the invitation of Kuwait Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

During the visit, the Minister will call on the Amir of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al Sabah and Prime Minister Nasser Mohammad Al Ahmed Al-Sabah and will have substantive discussions on areas of mutual interest with his counterpart and the Kuwaiti leadership.

He will also be meeting a cross section of Indian community, which is nearly 600,000 at present.

India and Kuwait enjoy traditionally close and friendly relations, based on historical linkages that have deepened and diversified over time.

Geographic proximity, ancient trade ties, and cultural affinities, continue to sustain and nurture our long-standing friendship.

Kuwait is an important trading partner for India and trade between the two countries for 2007-2008 was 8.4 billion dollars and is estimated at 10.5 billion dollars in 2009.

Kuwait is also an important partner in Indian's quest for energy security and crucial for Indian companies active in the petroleum and power sectors.

The presence of a large concentration of Indian nationals in Kuwait is another vital aspect of the bilateral ties. (ANI)