The Netherlands is a major trading partner to Kuwait, said Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah, at a joint press conference he held here with his Dutch counterpart on Thursday. The Kuwaiti official praised bilateral relations and noted that his visit here coincided with the Golden Jubilee (i.e. 50 years) of enduring cooperation between the two countries. On his upcoming meeting with Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, Sheikh Sabah said their talks would deal with a gamut of issues of bilateral concern, among them those on energy, investment, health services, and trade. On his part Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans said at the joint press conference that his talks with his Kuwaiti guest dealt with economic, trade, and environmental issues in addition to those of regional and international nature. He considered his guest's visit as a confirmation of the firm ties between their nations. Later today, the Kuwaiti foreign minister is scheduled to meet with Andrew Brown OBE, Upstream International Director; Executive Committee, Royal Dutch Shell plc, and with John Crocker, Shell's head of international government relations