New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a historic two-day trip to Kuwait, is expected to meet the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah on Sunday. Notably, this is the first visit by any Indian prime minister to Kuwait in the last 43 years.

Earlier on Saturday, PM Modi met the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, during the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup. After arriving in the Gulf nation, PM Modi addressed a grand diaspora event’Hala Modi’ that saw a footfall of over 5,000 people. At the event, PM modi asserted that India has the skill, technology, innovation, and manpower needed for the ‘New’ Kuwait, emphasising the importance that India places on its relationship with Kuwait. The visit by PM Modi to the Gulf nation holds immense significance as it is expected to boost bilateral ties in various sectors. On Day 2 as well, various key events are planned for the PM.

Here is the full schedule:

• On Sunday, PM Modi is expected to sign an MoU which will further boost the bilateral relations between Indian and the Gulf nation. Thereafter, the PM will meet his Kuwaiti counterpart.
• A press briefing is also planned in the afternoon, before PM Modi concludes his vist to the Middle East country and departs for Delhi.
• Earlier on Sunday, he visited to an Indian labour camp to show solidarity with the Indian migrants working in the Middle East country.
• PM Modi embarked on the trip on the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait.

Key Agendas:

The visit by PM Modi to the Gulf nation hold immense significance as it is expected to boost bilateral ties in various sectors. During talks with the leadership of Kuwait, PM Modi will assess the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including areas like politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties. They will also review the steps that both nations need to take to further bolster the cooperation.  

Addressing reporters ahead of PM’s visit, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA), Ministry of External Affairs, had said the trip assumes “considerable significance.”

Chatterjee had added that the relations between Indian and the Gulf region has undergone a major transformation under PM Modi’s leadership.

“The PM will also interact with the Indian diaspora at the community event and will also visit a labour camp. He will also attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of His Highness, the Amir of Kuwait. There has been a major transformation in India’s ties with the Gulf region. The honourable PM has given special emphasises to strengthening and deepening the relations with the Gulf countries,” he said.

Solidarity With Indian Migrants:

According to Chatterjee, the Indian community members in Kuwait spans to over 1 million. Chatterjee said that PM Modi’s visit to labour camp would reflect the considerable importance that India attaches with the safeguard of all workers abroad.

“The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers which are abroad. We have a community of around one million in Kuwait…The idea of the visit to the Labour camp is to express the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers who are working in a foreign country…,”Chatterjee said.

Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation:

As PM will hold bilateral talks with the Kuwait leadership, they will reflect upon the current relations in a wide range of areas i.e. politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties. PM Modi will also meet his Kuwaiti couterpart today.

Chatterjee said, “Coming to the elements of the program during the visit, the Prime Minister will be accorded a Ceremonial Guard of Honor at the Bayan Palace, following which he will hold separate meetings with the Emir of Kuwait and the Crown Prince of Kuwait. There will be delegation-level talks with the Prime Minister of Kuwait thereafter. During these bilateral discussions, the Prime Minister will review, with the leadership of Kuwait, the entire spectrum of our bilateral relations, including areas such as politics, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties, and the steps both sides need to take to further enhance them…”

Earlier in June this year, around 40 Indian workers were lost their lives in an apartment fire in Mangaf area, situated in south of Kuwait City. The regions is heavily populated with migrant workers. With a strong diaspora  base and the largest expatriate community in Kuwait, Indians constitute 21 per cent of Kuwait’s population and 30 per cent of its workforce. The Indian workers are engaged in varios profession such as carpenters, masons, domestic workers, fabricators, drivers or even food delivery riders and courier delivery boys. Kuwait’s dependency on the Indian workforce is huge.

India-Kuwait Relations

As far as trade is concerned, Kuwait is among the top trading partners of India. The bilateral trade is valued at $10.47 billion in 2023-24.

Kuwait is also India’s sixth largest crude supplier, catering three per cent of the country’s energy needs. Meanwhile, Indian exports to Kuwait hit $2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed $10 billion.

India has had friendly relations with Kuwait, even in its pre-oil era when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy. Notably, the Indian rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961.

PM Modi’s visit comes after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Kuwait on August 18, while his counterpart Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya visited India on December 3-4. It was during Al-Yahya’s India tour that he called on PM Modi and extended an invitation to him from the Kuwaiti leadership.