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PM Modi’s visit to Kuwait on Dec 21 to bolster cooperation in defence and trade
India said PM Modi’s visit to Kuwait was expected to “open a new chapter in India-Kuwait relations” and boost cooperation in defence and trade
NEW DELHI: Bolstering defence and security cooperation will be in focus when Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to Kuwait on Saturday for the first visit by an Indian premier in more than four decades.
Besides holding talks with Kuwait’s top leadership during the two-day trip, Modi will visit a labour camp housing Indian blue-collar workers, address an Indian community event and attend the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup football tournament.
Though India and Kuwait have close ties in areas such as energy and trade, the last prime ministerial visit from the Indian side was 43 years ago. Late former premier Indira Gandhi visited Kuwait in 1981, while then vice president Hamid Ansari travelled to the West Asian country in 2009.
The external affairs ministry said on Friday that discussions were underway with Kuwait for a bilateral investment treaty and a defence cooperation agreement. Arun Kumar Chatterjee, secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the ministry, told a media briefing that some bilateral agreements are expected to be finalised during the visit.
The visit is expected to “open a new chapter in India-Kuwait relations”, he said. It is also expected to boost cooperation in defence and trade, 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 said.
India is among Kuwait’s top trading partners and two-way trade was worth $10.47 billion during 2023-24. Indian exports increased from $1.56 billion in 2022-23 to $2.1 billion in 2023-24, with year-on-year growth of 34.7%.
Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude supplier, meeting 3% of the country’s energy needs, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed $10 billion. One million Indians make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.
Chatterjee said the visit is also expected to boost ties between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which is currently chaired by Kuwait.
Trade between India and the GCC, which includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, was worth $184.46 billion in 2022-23.
Chatterjee said India is currently negotiating with the GCC for a free trade pact. “We hope both sides will be able to conclude it,” he said.
Modi’s planned visit to the labour camp will come six months after 46 Indian nationals died in a devastating fire in a housing complex for foreign workers in Kuwait on June 12.
Chatterjee said the Indian government attaches importance to the welfare of all 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,” he said.
Modi is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of the Amir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Besides meeting the Amir, he will hold talks with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and the prime minister. These meetings will allow the two sides to review ties in areas such as trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people contacts.
