Kuwait City, Aug 18 (IANS): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received a warm welcome from Kuwait's Foreign Minister, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, upon his arrival there on Sunday.

Jaishankar acknowledged the warm reception in a post on X stating, "Thank FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya for the warm welcome. Looking forward to my engagements today with the Kuwaiti leadership."

During his official visit to Kuwait on Sunday, Jaishankar is scheduled to hold a meeting with FM Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya and hold discussions with other key leaders of the State of Kuwait.

EAM's visit will enable both sides to review various aspects of India-Kuwait bilateral relations, including political, trade, investment, energy, security, cultural, consular, and people-to-people contacts. The two sides will also exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Earlier in 2021, EAM marked an official visit to Kuwait from June 9-11 during which he called on the Prime Minister of Kuwait and delivered a letter from the Indian Prime Minister to the Amir of Kuwait.

A significant outcome of that visit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Cooperation in the Recruitment of Domestic Workers. Additionally, the two ministers launched the joint celebration of 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Kuwait, and Jaishankar unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi on the Chancery premises.

India and Kuwait share historically friendly relations, rooted in deep trade ties. Before 1961, the Indian Rupee was the legal tender in Kuwait. Until the discovery and development of oil, Kuwait's economy largely depended on maritime activities such as shipbuilding, pearl diving, fishing, and voyages to India, where goods like dates, Arabian horses, and pearls were traded for wood, cereals, clothes, and spices.