Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Kuwait beginning Saturday will help in opening a new chapter in bilateral ties, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. The visit would help develop a more dynamic partnership between the two countries, it said. The MEA said India was looking at boosting ties in a range of areas including defence and trade.
Modi is paying the visit at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, it said. During the visit, Modi will hold discussions with the leadership of Kuwait and also interact with the Indian community. The last Indian PM to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.
The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. India is among its 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 per cent 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 came on a private visit to India in July 2017. The last high-level visit from either side was that of the prime minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.
