PM Modi will visit Kuwait on 21 December

At the invitation of Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Kuwait from December 21 to 22, 2024. As a special guest of the Emir of Kuwait, he will attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup, visit a labor camp, and engage with the Indian diaspora at a community event.

Arun Kumar Chatterjee, the Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (CPV and OIA), addressed the Special Briefing on the Prime Minister’s visit to Kuwait. He provided a brief overview of PM Modi’s visit and emphasized the close ties between the two countries, stating that there are “excellent political relations between the two countries.”

“This marks the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years and therefore assumes considerable significance,” he said.

“After receiving a ceremonial guard of honor at the Bayan Palace, the primary residence of the Kuwaiti emir, PM Modi will meet separately with the crown prince of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, and the emir of Kuwait. After that, there will be delegation-level discussions with Kuwait’s prime minister,” he said.

PM Modi will go over the full range of our bilateral relations with Kuwait’s leadership during these talks, including topics like politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties, as well as the actions that both parties must take to strengthen them. The honorable prime minister will be honored at a luncheon hosted by the Crown Prince.

It is anticipated that the prime minister’s historic visit would establish bilateral ties and usher in a new era in India. In addition to strengthening our connection in current areas, it will also open up new opportunities for collaboration in the future, reaffirm our common values, and create a more robust and vibrant alliance going forward. Additionally, it is anticipated to strengthen India’s relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

“The welfare of all workers who are abroad is of great importance to the Indian government,” Chatterjee said, highlighting PM Modi’s visit to a labor camp in Kuwait. In Kuwait, there are around a million people living here.The purpose of the trip to the Labour camp is to demonstrate how much the Indian government values its employees who are employed abroad.

Notably, historical links, strong commercial exchanges, and thriving cultural ties define the long-standing relationship between India and Kuwait. The political ties between the two nations are good. In September of this year, PM Modi had a meeting with the Crown Prince of Kuwait at the United Nations General Assembly.

S. Jayashankar, the minister of external affairs, had already been to Kuwait in August of this year. Abdullah Ali Al Hayya, Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, recently traveled to India from December 3–4. The two foreign ministers had previously met in Riyadh in September of this year for the first India Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue.

“These recent high-level engagements have been very successful and other ministerial-level exchanges have infused a fresh momentum into the bilateral relations between India and Kuwait,” the secretary of the MEA said.

An MOU to create a Joint Commission was signed during the recent visit of Kuwait’s Foreign Minister to India in December of this year in order to further fortify the institutional framework of cooperation. The foreign ministers of both nations will serve as the Commission’s leaders. Under the Commission, new collaborative working groups will be established in the fields of commerce, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security, and culture.

“India ranks among Kuwait’s top trading partners with bilateral trade between the two countries at more than US dollars 10 billion during the year 2023-24,” MEA said during the briefing.

“In terms of crude oil and LPG supplies, Kuwait continues to be a dependable energy partner for India. Kuwait has also made investments in India. As a result, Kuwait is now one of India’s most important Gulf allies,” he said.