New Delhi: India and Kuwait are expected to focus on shoring up ties in a range of key areas including defence and trade during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to the Gulf nation beginning Saturday.
Modi will hold talks with the top Kuwaiti leadership, visit an Indian labour camp, address the Indian community and attend the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup football tournament.
It will be the first trip to the Gulf nation by an Indian prime minister in 43 years.
A day ahead of the prime minister’s trip, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said discussions are underway with Kuwait on a bilateral investment treaty and a defence cooperation pact.
At a media briefing, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the MEA, said a few bilateral documents are expected to be firmed up during the prime minister’s visit.
“The historic visit by the prime minister is expected to open a new chapter in India-Kuwait bilateral relations,” he said.
“It will not only consolidate the partnership in existing spheres but also unveil new avenues for future cooperation, reinforce our shared values and build a more stronger and dynamic partnership for the future,” he added.
Chatterjee said the visit is also expected to boost the ties between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The GCC is an influential grouping comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The total volume of India’s trade with GCC countries stood at USD 184.46 billion in the financial year 2022-23.
Kuwait is the current chair of the GCC.
Chatterjee said India is holding negotiations with the GCC for a free trade pact.
We hope both sides will be able to conclude it, he added.
On Modi’s planned visit to a labour camp in Kuwait, Chatterjee said the government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all the Indian workers abroad.
“The idea of the visit of the prime minister to the labour camp is to express the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers. That is the prime purpose,” he said.
Over 45 Indians were killed in devastating fire in a building housing foreign workers in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf locality in June.
The prime minister is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
Besides meeting the Emir, Modi will also hold talks with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and the prime minister.
“The visit would help develop a more dynamic partnership between the two countries,” Chatterjee said.
Modi will review with the Kuwaiti leadership the entire spectrum of bilateral ties including in areas of trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people contacts, he said.
The Kuwaiti Crown Prince will also to host a banquet for Modi, he added.
The last Indian prime minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.
India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.
The Gulf nation is among India’s top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at USD 10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24.
Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude supplier, meeting 3 percent of the country’s energy needs.
Indian exports to Kuwait reached USD 2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed USD 10 billion.
India and Kuwait have enjoyed traditionally friendly relations, with links dating back to pre-oil Kuwait when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy.
Kuwait’s economy revolved around its fine harbour and maritime activities which included ship building, pearl diving, fishing and voyages to India on wooden dhows carrying dates, Arabian horses and pearls that were traded for wood, cereals, clothes and spices, according to people tracking the ties between the two nations.
The Indian Rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, a symbol of the enduring economic and cultural ties.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established in 1961, with India initially represented by a trade commissioner.
Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jabar Al Sabah visited India on a private visit in July 2017.
The last high-level visit from either side was that of the prime minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.
