ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kuwait on Tuesday celebrated 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at an event in Islamabad, the Pakistani foreign office said, issuing a commemorative logo and inaugurating a photo exhibition.
Pakistan and Kuwait have a long history of bilateral ties, with Pakistani forces taking an active part in the liberation of Kuwait along with coalition forces in 1991.
After the end of the first Gulf War in 1991, Pakistani army engineers were involved in a program of mine clearance in the country. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan sent hundreds of doctors, nurses and technicians to Kuwait, where a little over 100,000 Pakistanis live.
Kuwait has been a long-time supplier of white oil products to Pakistan on favorable payment terms and the Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) has also been investing in Pakistan for many decades.
The joint event was organized by the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Kuwait in Islamabad, at which Pakistan’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar hailed the historic bilateral relationship that was characterized by fraternal ties, common aspirations and values as well as bright prospects for future cooperation.
“A commemorative logo of 60th Anniversary was unveiled in the joint event. A photo exhibition was also inaugurated by the Minister of State, depicting various aspects of the bilateral relations between the two countries as well as high-level exchanges,” the Pakistani foreign office said.
“Representatives of the Diplomatic Corps, UN and Government officials, business community, academia, media, and civil society attended the joint event.”
Kuwait’s Ambassador to Islamabad Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi also shed light on the history of brotherly relations between the two countries and peoples at the joint event.
Kuwait hosts a sizeable Pakistani diaspora playing a critical role in the development and prosperity of both nations. The joint event marked the beginning of year-long activities that would be organized both in Kuwait and Pakistan with a view to transform fraternal ties into more concrete and mutually rewarding economic relations.
Last year, Kuwait-backed firms said they were planning projects in Pakistan to the tune of $750 million, marking one of the largest proposed investments in the South Asian country in recent years. Pakistani and Kuwaiti companies are also working on a water pipeline valued at $200 million.
Earlier this month, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, met the Minister for Finance of Kuwait, Abdul Wahab Al-Rasheed, on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai and agreed to boost economic ties.
The two sides also discussed enhancing access to the Kuwaiti market for Pakistani products and labor force and the opportunities offered to Kuwait by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.
