The government of the State of Kuwait and the Government of the Republic of India has established a Joint Commission to enhance and deepen fraternity and friendship ties and support ways of cooperation in all fields in service of the common objectives of both countries. The Joint Commission will be charged with formulating the required basis to strengthen the relations between the two countries, particularly in the fields of – Energy, Trade, Economy, Investment, Human Resources, Manpower and Labour, Finance, Skills, Culture, Science & Technology, Information Technology, Health, Education, Defense and Security. The Joint Commission will also review Agreements concluded between the two countries and find suitable solutions for their implementation issues.
The Joint Commission Meeting will be co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait; and the Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India and shall be attended by ministers or senior officials representing them and may include in its participation experts concerned with subjects of cooperation that the Commission undertakes to discuss. The Joint Commission Meeting will be held in each country alternately, at a mutually agreed time. The existing working groups/ dialogue mechanisms shall be brought under the umbrella of the Commission. The Joint Commission may consider establishing new Joint Working Groups as appropriate for Trade and Investment subjects; Defense, Security, and Maritime Cooperation; Science, Technology and Information Technology; Education and Skills Development; Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality. It is expected that the joint committee’s establishment will have a significant impact on the India-Kuwait labor migration corridor. Currently, Kuwait hosts more than one million Indian workers, engaging many labor-intensive sectors such as construction, domestic work, services, and others. In 2019, more than 45 thousand Indian workers went to Kuwait under the emigration check required category. The majority of these migrants were from Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
Dr Rakesh Ranjan is Advisory Board Member of TMN and currently serving as Assistant Professor at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India.