AMBASSADOR’S SPEECH FOR REPUBLIC DAY RECEPTION

AMBASSADOR’S SPEECH FOR REPUBLIC DAY RECEPTION

H.E Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, Deputy Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait and Chief Guest of today’s event,

H.E Mazzin-Al-Ezza, UnderSecretary in the office of His Highness the Crown Prince

Dignitaries from the State of Kuwait,

My Colleagues from the Diplomatic Corps,

Friends from media,

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Namaskar! Good evening! Mas’aa Al-Kheir!

​A very warm welcome to each and every one of you for joining us today to celebrate the 74th Republic Day of India. My special thanks to the Hon’ble Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for gracing the occasion.

​At the outset, I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince and Deputy Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for their patronage and support to a strong India-Kuwait partnership.

Excellencies & Distinguished Guests,

​This day marks a historic milestone in India’s journey since it was on this very day in 1950 that the Constitution of India came into effect. The Indian Constitution is a living document which has responded to the needs of the time. Equitable development has been the corner stone of various socio-economic policies in India. Democracy, pluralism and unity in diversity are the traditional ethos of the Indian society. India is home to all religions of the world where anyone is free to preach and practice his own faith and religion. All these constitute fundamental tenets of the Indian Constitution.

​India is home to one of the oldest living civilizations and considered the mother of democracy. Our ancient belief of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is a family) has become a beacon of our foreign policy as well. You can see its embodiment in the Indian foreign policy approaches and practices. The logo of the ongoing Indian Presidency of G-20 ‘One Earth One Family One Future’ is inspired by this philosophy. India’s recent tenure as the non-permanent member of the UN Security Council was focused on ‘Reformed Multilateralism’ and other themes of global relevance. India’s ongoing Presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, of which Kuwait is one of the newest entrants, is geared towards harnessing innovations, start-ups, traditional medicine systems etc for the greater benefit of SCO countries.

Excellencies & Distinguished Guests

​India is celebrating ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ since last year to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of it's people, culture and achievements. I am sure many of you would have been part of various events organized by the Indian Embassy during the last 2 years to celebrate ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’.

​The Indian developmental story in recent years continues to attract the attention of the international community. I am taking the liberty to highlight some important facets of today’s India -

➢ A country with the world’s largest working population with an objective of ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’ i.e a self-reliant India with its flagship scheme of ‘Make in India’;

➢ World’s fastest growing major economy that is projected to become the 3rd largest economy in the world by 2030

➢ Preferred Foreign Investment destination with USD 85 bn of FDI inflows in 2021-22

➢ Global Pharmacy of the world as world’s largest vaccine and generic medicines producer

➢ 3rd in the world in number of Start-Ups (84,000+) and Unicorns (107)
➢ 1st in lowest manufacturing costs globally

➢ Has the world’s largest renewable energy expansion programme
➢ Recorded largest number of digital transactions in the world and so on.

Excellencies & Distinguished Guests,

​When it comes to our bilateral relations with the State of Kuwait, they are indeed historical and time-tested underpinned by constant trade, economic and people to people linkages over the centuries. Most importantly, the leadership of both countries highly value the importance of this multi-faceted relationship. The bilateral relations cover cooperation in a wide spectrum of areas. India is the 4th largest export destination for Kuwait and 6th largest with respect to its imports. Cooperation in the energy sphere continues to be the fulcrum of economic cooperation. Collaboration in education is well known with 25 Indian schools running in Kuwait with an enrollment of over 50,000 students. The strong and vibrant Indian community in Kuwait of approx one million is a living bridge between the two countries.

Friends,
​
​The real test of our close and friendly relations came during the difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic, when India and Kuwait closely collaborated and supported each other. While India sent a special medical team to Kuwait and gifted 200,000 doses of India-made Covishield vaccines, Kuwait was equally forthcoming and sent a special aircraft with oxygen and other medical supplies, which was followed by Indian Naval Ships carrying liquid medical oxygen supply to India. This is a testimony of the strong foundations of India-Kuwait bilateral relationship.

​ We strongly believe that the current level of bilateral relations is only a tip of the ice berg. Kuwait with its 2035 developmental vision and India with its rising global and economic profile, have a lot more to cooperate and collaborate. This is where friends of India in Kuwait, including you all, and friends of Kuwait in India apart from the governments of both countries, have an important role to play.

Distinguished members of the Indian community,

​I take this opportunity to thank you for your stellar contribution in being the bedrock of India-Kuwait partnership. As Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi aptly put it in his recent address at the 17th Pravasi Bharatiya Convention, you are the true ‘Rashtradoots’ of India who continue to serve not only India but your home away from home i.e Kuwait.

Dear Friends

​As some of you may be aware, 2023 was declared as the International Year of Millets by the UN in March 2021 based on a proposal mooted by India. India has since been at the forefront of this campaign with different events being planned domestically and across the world. The Embassy will also be organizing a ‘Millet week’ in February and a millet month in June this year. And today you would find some of the Indian-millet based recipes, both traditional and fusion, amongst the food items that is being served. Do give your taste-buds a nutritious yet delicious experience.

​Before concluding, let me thank all stake-holders who are playing a role in taking India-Kuwait relationship to greater heights. I thank you all for your august presence today and, in particular, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for being the Chief Guest tonight.

​I invite you to partake in the celebrations today’s evening.

​Long live India-Kuwait friendship!
​
​Haiya Asadaqa alhindia – alkuwaytiya lil abad

​Thank you
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