Kuwait-India trade exchanges reach $18.21 bn

Trade exchanges between Kuwait and India reached USD 18.21 billion in the 2013-2014 year, said the Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Sunil Jain on Friday.
Ambassador Jain, addressing a ceremony at the Indian embassy building marking India's Independence Day, hailed the close ties between the two countries and affirmed the two sides' keenness on cementing further these relations.
The visit by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah to India last November gave a new boost to the growing bilateral relations between the state, he said.
He indicated at a series of reciprocal visits by senior Indian and Kuwaiti leaders that also contributed to strengthening the bilateral ties.
Joint government-level work groups held meetings last June for cooperation in various sectors namely hydrocarbons and labor, he said, adding that the Indian and Kuwaiti foreign ministries planned a round of talks in September.
He expressed gratitude to the State of Kuwait for the good treatment accorded to his community in the country.
The ambassador touched on cooperation with the GCC states saying that his country imports 70 percent of its energy supplies from the countries of the region.
India, he elaborated, would continue cooperation with other nations to tackle diverse issues of common concern, namely terrorism, food and energy security.