Sibi George seeks to take Kuwait-India partnership to a new high level

By Sajeev K Peter

KUWAIT: India's new Ambassador to Kuwait Sibi George said he is looking forward to working with every Indian resident in Kuwait and expressed confidence that both Kuwait and India would be able to further strengthen their longstanding dynamic partnership. The ambassador presented his credentials to HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Tuesday.
In an in-depth interview with Kuwait Times Tuesday, the ambassador stated that the Indian Embassy in Kuwait has reinstated the registrations of all Indian associations which were de-registered by it in the past. George also spoke at length about improved consular services at the embassy, the issue of Indian engineers and the utilization of the embassy's welfare fund, among other topics.

Excerpts:
Kuwait Times: You took over as India's Ambassador to Kuwait in the first week of August. As you assume office as the ambassador in Kuwait where Indians form the largest expat community, what are your expectations and aspirations?

Sibi George: I am much honored to represent India in the State of Kuwait, which is an important country and key partner for India in this very important region. It is also our extended neighborhood. India and Kuwait have an excellent relationship, stretching back several decades. I thank His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the leadership of this country for hosting the large Indian community in Kuwait. I also thank the government of Kuwait and the people of Kuwait for their efforts and support in strengthening bilateral relations between our two friendly countries.
India-Kuwait relationship is a partnership not only between governments and officials - it is a partnership involving several stakeholders - business establishments, industry and commercial chambers, investment boards, industry groups, factories, universities, science and technology establishments, academicians, scholars, artists, students, innovation and research organizations, hospitality firms, museums, libraries and importantly our Indian community, with its most vibrant people-to-people contacts. I would like to call our relationship a 'longstanding dynamic partnership'.
My endeavor here is to work under the guidance of the leadership of our two countries and work closely with each of the stakeholders to strengthen our partnership and to take it to a new high level. There is huge potential in building our relationship in several areas. With the blessings and guidance of the leadership of our two countries, with the support and efforts of well-wishers in our two countries, and with the efforts of all stakeholders, I am confident that we will be able to further strengthen this longstanding dynamic partnership.

Community outreach

KT: In your maiden speech to the Indian community, you mentioned that the Indian embassy seeks to improve its outreach and engagement with the community. Signaling a positive shift, you stated that the embassy is open to suggestions from community members. How do you propose to establish better connectivity with the community?

George: I am very delighted to see a large and talented Indian community in Kuwait, contributing to the economic progress of this country. I am also glad to see that the government of Kuwait and the citizens of this country esteem the Indian community for their sincerity, honesty, technical knowledge, work efficiency and peace-loving nature. I am so happy to see that Indians in Kuwait have a high reputation here and that they have earned the respect and trust of the people of Kuwait.

As ambassador of India to Kuwait, I am keen to engage each one of my countrymen to get their ideas and suggestions in strengthening our relationship with Kuwait. I would endeavor to make any visit to the embassy a pleasant experience for every visitor, including my fellow citizens. It is in this context - to hear their ideas and suggestions directly - that I launched an Open House at the embassy. Every Wednesday at 3.30 pm, I, along with my colleagues in the embassy, look forward to meeting directly with my fellow Indians at the embassy. In this COVID-19 pandemic situation, we cannot have large gatherings at the embassy. So those interested to join the Open House are required to register with the embassy.

We have also launched a few social media platforms to connect with the community, other stakeholders and our well-wishers. We have set up social media platforms of ICN (Indian Cultural Network), IPN (Indian Professionals Network), IBN (Indian Business Network) and a digital thematic library to reach out to everyone sharing the India story, its cultural heritage, the story of our new India and its economic and scientific transformation.
ICN is a social media platform to highlight our cultural diversity and art forms and to recognize and promote artistic skills within our diaspora. IPN is to learn from the expertise and experiences of our distinguished and talented professionals here and imbibe the best practices. IBN aims to showcase India's economic and scientific transformation and highlight the billion opportunities that India offers for business partnership. This social media outreach is the best medium to connect with the community and our friends in this extraordinary situation as we face the COVID-19 pandemic.

Role of associations
KT: Sending a positive message to the community, you acknowledged the commendable roles being played by various Indian associations here. You also lauded their efforts in extending humanitarian assistance to people in distress, especially during the pandemic. However, you may be aware of the fact that the embassy had cancelled registrations of several Indian associations in the recent past. Will you consider reinstating their registrations?

George: I represent each and every citizen of India in this country. I look forward to working with each and every one of them to further strengthen our partnership with Kuwait. I thank all groups of volunteers who worked hand in hand with the embassy and Indian Community Support Group (ICSG) to help the community in these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embassy is fully conscious of the diversity of the Indian diaspora in Kuwait, and their cultural and professional yearnings, and the need for suitable avenues in the form of meaningful and responsible forums within the confines of the laws of this country. The main objective and rationale of these forums is to provide a platform for the members and their families to be able to come together as cohesive groups for cultural/professional/sports purposes within the parameters of local laws and regulations.
These are difficult times. We in the embassy are committed to ensure that those in distress get support and find solutions for their grievances, in coordination with the concerned authorities in Kuwait and in India. In fact, this is the time we need everyone to work together for the welfare of the community and strive towards strengthening our partnership with Kuwait in all sectors.
In this context, I reviewed the decision to de-register some of our groups in the past. All are now part of our team. I look forward to work with each of them, so long as they do not violate any of the laws of their host country or that of their motherland. We should do nothing that would directly or indirectly hurt social, political, religious or any other feelings and sentiments of others.

Community fund
KT: The utilization of the embassy's community welfare fund had been an issue of debate in the past. Do you think it can be utilized for emergency needs of the members of the community?

George: The Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) was set up in 2009 to assist overseas Indian nationals in times of distress and emergency in the 'most deserving cases' on a 'means tested basis'. In 2017, the ICWF guidelines were revised further to make them more broad-based and expand the scope of welfare measures that can be extended through the fund.
The guidelines cover a wide range of areas including providing boarding and lodging for deserving distressed Indians for a limited duration, air passage to India for stranded Indians, transportation of mortal remains, emergency medical care, etc. The guidelines approved by the cabinet are very clear on how to operate the fund. I have set up a committee of senior officers in the mission to examine each request carefully as per the guidelines and provide all possible assistance immediately to all deserving applications. I am keen that this fund is effectively used to provide support to any Indian in distress.

Issue of engineers
KT: There are some reports of difficulties being faced by Indian engineers over renewal of their residencies due to accreditation issues related to their educational institutions back in India. What is the possible solution to the problem?

George: The matter pertaining to Indian engineers is one of the issues that was brought to my attention by a large number of engineers. As I mentioned earlier, I am delighted to see that the government of Kuwait and citizens of this country love the Indian community for its sincerity, honesty, technical knowledge, work efficiency and law-abiding nature.
I am happy to see that they have earned the respect and trust of the people of Kuwait, including for their professional expertise and skills. In Kuwait, all companies, both big and small, are extremely happy to have Indian engineers and are absolutely satisfied with the services and professional competence of Indian engineers.
In fact, India has some of the best engineering and technology institutes in the entire world, which are highly regarded across the globe. Indian engineers and scientists are among the best in the world, and this is a fact well acknowledged and appreciated all over the world. I think we need to have a bit more outreach in this direction. In this background, I am confident that we will be able to address each of the issues involving Indian engineers here. We may not have immediate solutions for some issues, but we will work with the concerned authorities to find amicable solutions to all issues.

KT: In your speech you stated that there is absolutely zero tolerance in the embassy for any form of corruption, dishonesty, exploitation, fraud, bias or partisanship. Can you please elaborate?
George: As I mentioned earlier, the embassy belongs to all Indians in Kuwait. All are welcome to visit the embassy and utilize the services. We have a set of parameters to ensure that there is 'ease of getting services' at the embassy and at outsourcing centers. It aims at reducing the time required to get the services done and to make the visit to the embassy a pleasant experience for everyone.
To achieve this objective, it is important that there is absolutely zero tolerance in the embassy for any form of corruption, dishonesty, exploitation, fraud, bias or partisanship. There are no agents or middlemen who can offer services at the embassy or at outsourcing centers. This is what makes the embassy a 'home away from home' for one and all. We have kept suggestion/complaint boxes prominently at the chancery premises and our passport offices. We take every suggestion and complaint seriously and act upon them to ensure ease of getting services at the embassy. I look forward to receiving more suggestions and ideas to improve services at the embassy and at outsourcing centers.

Bilateral relations
KT: India-Kuwait relations have always had an important trade dimension as well. India has consistently been among the top trading partners of Kuwait. During the 2019-20 financial year, Kuwait was the 10th largest oil supplier to India and it met about 3.8 percent of India's energy needs. India's total bilateral trade with Kuwait during the financial year 2019-20 was $10.86 billion. What are your propositions to further bolster diplomatic and trade relations between the two countries?

George: Our relations with Kuwait have been very close, friendly, and most important of all, they go back many centuries. In fact, trade between Kuwait and India goes back a few hundred years. Geographic proximity, historical trade links, cultural affinities, people-to-people contacts and growing cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, including energy security, trade and investment, infrastructure development projects, petrochemicals and education continue to strengthen and broaden our longstanding partnership.
There is nevertheless considerable scope for further expansion in trade and deepening our mutually beneficial business partnership. There are other crucial areas, apart from trade and investment, such as security, maritime lanes, anti-terrorism, defense, science and technology. Some of the areas of mutual interest include information and communication technology, biotechnology, small and medium enterprise entrepreneurship and alternative energy sources.
In fact, there are so many key sectors that India and Kuwait can cooperate and partner for the economic prosperity of the people of our two countries. India considers countries like Kuwait as a key partner in its economic transformation and in its efforts to build an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India) and also in its flagship projects. I am happy to note that we have a series of major business, trade and investment promotional events planned in coming weeks and months. I am launching an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' series of events this week.
There is huge potential for building a partnership between New India and New Kuwait. I am confident that in coming months and years, there will be more intensive commercial and trade engagement and more investments made by businessmen and industrialists, which would further strengthen our relations and promote investments in both countries, leading to economic opportunities and prosperity for people of our two countries. I look forward to working with each of the stakeholders in this regard.