AMBASSADOR’S SPEECH FOR NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION 2024
AMBASSADOR’S SPEECH FOR NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION 2024
H.E Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Dy Foreign Minister of the State of Kuwait and Chief Guest of today’s event,
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 on the 75th Republic Day celebrations of India. My special thanks to H.E Sheikh Jarrah 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 Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Prime Minister Dr Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah for their patronage and support for a strong India-Kuwait partnership.
Distinguished Guests,
This day marks the diamond jubilee of our Republic Day celebrations, 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 embodies the principles of equitable development, democracy, pluralism, secularism, principles of natural justice etc for which the country stands for. Unity in diversity is part of the traditional ethos of the Indian society. The Indian Constitution is said to be a living document that has responded to the needs of time. And therefore very truly, an article of faith for all Indian citizens at home and abroad.
Excellencies & Distinguished Guests
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 -
- Largest and stable democratic regime
- World’s most populous country with 65% of population under 35 years of age
- 5th largest economy and poised to become 3rd largest by 2027-28;
- GDP of USD 3.75 trillion with exports of USD 776 bn last year
- Preferred Foreign Investment destination with USD 615 bn in the last 9 years, including USD 71 bn last year
- 79 positions jump in rank over 5 years in World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings
- Has world’s largest working population and first in lowest manufacturing costs globally
- World’s 3rd largest Startup Ecosystem (111 unicorns with total valuation of USD 350 bn)
- Global Pharmacy of the world
- 4th largest installed capacity of renewable power
- USD 1 trillion digital economy by 2025 (46% share in real time digital payments globally)
And how does India@2047> – after 100 years of independence looks like?
- A USD 32 trillion economy and the world’s 3rd largest
- Average annual real GDP growth of 7.6% over next 25 yrs
- Per capita income to grow 9 times to approx USD 22000
Distinguished guests,
On the foreign policy front, India’s ‘Vishwa Mitra’ initiative is designed to foster closer global cooperation and understanding and aligns with India’s ancient belief of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family). India believes that dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward to resolve international disputes and conflicts. Last year was a very intense year on the Indian diplomatic calendar. We held Presidencies of 2 important multilateral forums – the G20 and the SCO. Not only were we able to bridge divides among countries on important geopolitical issues, we were able to lend greater voice to the Global South with African Union becoming a permanent invitee to the G20. We were happy to welcome Kuwait in the SCO family as a Dialogue Partner during our Presidency. India organized two editions ‘Voice of Global South Summit’ in 2023, in which over 130 countries participated, with the aim of mainstreaming priorities of developing countries in the international agenda, particularly the G-20. India’s championing of the International Year of Millets as declared by UN had a major resonance across the globe. The Indian Embassy in Kuwait was an active participant in this campaign. And I thank many of you for participation in our millet promotion events.
Excellencies & Distinguished Guests,
When it comes to our bilateral relations with the State of Kuwait, they are indeed historical and time-tested. Trade and people to people linkages have been the edifice of our close ties. 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 among the top three bilateral trade partners of Kuwait. We are seeing diversification in our trade basket as well. Our bilateral investment cooperation is growing with greater Kuwaiti investments in India as well as increasing presence of Indian companies in Kuwait. Many Indian companies have executed, are executing and look forward to executing large-scale infrastructure projects in Kuwait. Collaboration in education is well known with 26 Indian schools running in Kuwait with an enrollment of over 60,000 students. The strong and vibrant Indian community in Kuwait of approx one million is a living bridge between the two countries. We look forward to further strengthening of our special partnership with Kuwait under the guidance of the new leadership of Kuwait.
Distinguished members of the Indian community,
I take this opportunity to express my appreciation for your stellar contribution in being the bedrock of India-Kuwait partnership. You are the true ‘Rashtradoots’ of India who continue to serve not only India but your home away from home i.e Kuwait. The Government of India is confident of your similar contribution to our bilateral ties in future.
Friends,
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 evening.
Long live India-Kuwait friendship!
Thank you
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