STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Kuwait from Saturday in what will be the first trip to the Gulf nation by an Indian prime minister in 43 years.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), announcing the visit, said it will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the “multifaceted” ties between India and Kuwait.
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 will also interact with the Indian community.
“India and Kuwait share traditionally close and friendly relations which are rooted in history and have been underpinned by economic and strong people to people linkages,” the MEA said in a statement.
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 visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait,” the MEA added.
Kuwait 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.
