Opportunity to chalk out a roadmap for a futuristic partnership: PM Modi on Kuwait visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who left on a two-day official visit to Kuwait on Saturday (December 21, 2024), described it as an opportunity to chalk out a roadmap for a futuristic partnership. In his departure statement in New Delhi, he expressed confidence that this visit would further strengthen and reinforce the special ties.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting Kuwait on December 21-22, 2024 at the invitation of the Emir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He is scheduled to hold meetings with the Emir, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Kuwait. Additionally, he will also interact with members of the Indian diaspora in Kuwait. 

This is the first visit to Kuwait by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years.

“I look forward to my meetings with His Highness the Amir, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Kuwait. It would be an opportunity to chalk out a roadmap for a futuristic partnership for the benefit of our people and the region,” Prime Minister Modi said. 

Pointing out that India deeply values the historical connection with Kuwait that has been nurtured over generations, he said, “We are not just strong trade and energy partners, but also have shared interest in peace, security, stability and prosperity in the West Asia region”.

Prime Minister Modi will also attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait. “​I express my gratitude to the leadership of Kuwait for the special gesture of inviting me to the inauguration ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup, a premier sporting event in the Gulf region. I look forward to being a part of this celebration of athletic excellence and regional unity,” he said.

On his scheduled interaction with members of the Indian community, he said, “I eagerly look forward to meeting the Indian diaspora in Kuwait who have immensely contributed to strengthening bonds of friendship between the two nations”.

“I am confident that this visit will further strengthen and reinforce the special ties and bonds of friendship between the people of India and Kuwait,” Prime Minister Modi stated.

According to the official schedule, Prime Minister Modi will receive a ceremonial Guard Of Honour at the Bayan Palace following which he will hold separate meetings with the Emir of Kuwait and the Crown Prince. This will be followed by delegation-level talks with Kuwait’s Prime Minister. 

“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 political, trade, investment, energy, culture, and people-to-people ties and the steps both sides need to take to further enhance them,” Secretary for Consular, Passport, and Visa (CPV) and Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arun Kumar Chatterjee said during a special media briefing on Friday (December 20, 2024).

The visit is the latest in the series of high-level exchanges between the two sides in recent years and comes less than a month after Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya visited New Delhi on December 3 and 4, 2024.

Prime Minister Modi met Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September this year.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Kuwait in August this year. He also met his Kuwaiti counterpart on the sidelines of the inaugural India-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Strategic Dialogue held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in September. 

“These and other Ministerial interactions have infused a fresh momentum to the bilateral relationship between India and Kuwait,” Chatterjee noted.