New Delhi, July 4: Mustafa Jassem Al-Shamali, Finance Minister of Kuwait, met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Commerce and Industry Kamal Nath here last evening.

Mustafa Jassem Al-Shamali is in India for the second Joint Commission meeting to enhance bilateral ties.

The first meeting of the Commission was held in November 2006 in Kuwait, following the visit of the Kuwaiti Amir to India in June 2006.

The next meeting of the Vommission is scheduled to be held in Kuwait in 2009.

Kuwait accounts for 12 per cent of India's crude imports. Besides, over 600,000 Indians work in Kuwait.

Bilateral trade volume, excluding oil trade, stood at 958.41 million dollars in 2007-08. India's exports to Kuwait during the period April 2007-February 2008 amounted to 589.78 million dollars.

India's exports mainly constituted rice (basmati), meat and processed food and machinery while oil and petrochemicals topped its imports besides fertilizers and ores and scrap. (ANI)