Piyush Goyal talks to Kuwaiti counterpart after US-Iran ceasefire

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, on Thursday held a virtual meeting with Osama Khaled Boodai, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait.

The two held talks on expanding bilateral trade relations.

In a post on X, Goyal said, "Held a fruitful virtual meeting with H.E. Osama Khaled Boodai, Minister of Commerce and Industry of Kuwait. Exchanged views on expanding bilateral trade relations and deepening collaboration across key sectors."

India and Kuwait traditionally enjoy friendly relations, which are rooted in history and have stood the test of time. India has been a natural trading partner of Kuwait, and until 1961, the Indian Rupee was a legal tender in Kuwait. Till the discovery and development of oil, Kuwait's economy revolved around its fine harbour and maritime activities, which included ship building, pearl diving, fishing and voyages to India on wooden dhows carrying dates, Arabian horses and pearls that were traded for wood, cereals, clothes and spices, as per a statement by MEA.

 

Meanwhile, several Gulf nations have reported missile and drone attacks on their territories, hours after Iran and the United States announced a two-week ceasefire, as per Al Jazeera.

Kuwait said its air defences were intercepting a wave of Iranian drones launched since 8 am (05:00 GMT), according to its army. Kuwait's Defence Ministry said in a statement that its air defence systems responded to "intense hostile Iranian attacks," adding that a total of 28 drones were dealt with.

"Kuwaiti armed forces intercepted a large number of drones, some of which targeted vital oil installations and power stations in the south of the country," it added, as per Al Jazeera.

Kuwait's Interior Ministry reported "severe material damage" at several vital facilities of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and the energy and water resources ministry after the attack, it added.

India has consistently been among the top trading partners of Kuwait. Kuwait remains a reliable supplier of crude oil and LPG to India, meeting our crucial energy needs. During FY 2024-25, Kuwait was the 6th largest Crude supplier and 5th largest supplier of LPG to India and it met about 3.5% of India's total energy needs.