RIYADH: The first GCC-India Ministerial Meeting for Strategic Dialogue was held in Riyadh on Monday. Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar affirmed in his speech that the Gulf-Indian ties are deep-rooted in various fields, making progress on creating new partnerships in multiple areas. In the course of time, these ties developed and grew in different sectors such as technology, defense, culture, and others, Jaishankar added, pointing out that there are nine million Indians working in the GCC, contributing to the region’s economic development.

On the situation in Gaza, the Indian top diplomat said it was of the foremost concern, deeming “painful” the continuing death of innocent civilians and expressing hope for an immediate ceasefire. On his part, GCC Secretary General Jassim Al-Budaiwi emphasized that the first GCC-India meeting aimed to strengthen and develop bilateral relations based on shared interests to establish stability and prosperity in the region.

Economic cooperation is as well a key factor, as the trade exchange between GCC countries and India reached $174 million in 2022, which shows great strategic cooperation between the two sides, he added. He underscored that these investments work to ensure mutual success and opportunities for both sides, reaffirming the need to achieve great economic benefits as well as opportunities for joint investments in different fields such as renewable energy, contributing to preserve the environment, and achieving sustainability. Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya headed Kuwait’s delegations participating in the Ministerial Meeting. – KUNA