New Delhi: India's Former ambassador G Parthasarathy and ex-high commissioner to Pakistan opined that Jaishankar's visit to Kuwait is a part of the Gulf's strategy. "Ever since Prime Minister Modi came to power, he has focussed a lot on the Gulf countries because we get at least 30-40 billion dollars of foreign exchange remittances from Indian workers there. We have millions of workers staying there. It is one of the countries which employees Indians and New Delhi receive large remittances", Parthasarathy told ETV Bharat in an interview. The way Jaishankar is travelling is an indication that the PM attaches the highest importance to the Arab Gulf countries, Parthasarathy added.
External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is in Kuwait for a three-day official visit starting today. He left for Kuwait via Qatar on Wednesday morning. During his short stopover in Doha, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Qatar's National Security Advisor Mohamed Bin Ahmed Al Mesned and thanked him for the Gulf nation's support and solidarity in India's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
"A pleasure to meet Qatari NSA Mohamed Bin Ahmed Al Messed. Appreciate his insights on developments in the region and beyond. Thanked him for the support and solidarity in India’s fight against Covid", Jaishankar tweeted.
Further, Parthasarathy said that Jaishankar's visit will trigger China and Pakistan but one should remember that China's 280 billion -400 billion-dollar deal with Iran is causing concern in the Arab countries. These are the areas that need attention, he added. Jaishankar's visit is reflective of a comprehensive strategy on how to deal with the Gulf Arab states which are all oil-rich, close to India and all comprising of the large Indian population, Parthasarathy stated.
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This will be Jaishankar's first visit to Kuwait as External Affairs Minister. During the visit, he is scheduled to hold high-level meetings and also address the Indian community in Kuwait. He would thank Kuwait for the support extended to India during the second wave of the pandemic. Both Qatar and Kuwait were the main logistics hubs for India in the supply of liquid medical oxygen.
In Kuwait, Jaishankar is scheduled to meet his counterpart Sheikh Mohammad Naseer al-Mohammad al-Sabah and discuss a range of issues like investment, trade, energy and information technology. He would also hand over a letter written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah. The year 2021-22 marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait.
Notably, in recent weeks, to help fight the second wave of COVID-19 in India, the Government of Kuwait has been at the forefront to ensure a sustained and reliable supply of Liquid Medical Oxygen to India including by establishing an Air/Sea Bridge. Kuwait had supplied 5,267 oxygen cylinders to India, 55 oxygen concentrators, 450 metric tonnes of liquid oxygen and 11 ventilators apart from drugs, oximeters, masks and gloves.
