Modi To Hold Talks With Kuwait Crown Prince, Emir On Dec 21-22 During First Visit By Indian PM In 43 Years

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a visit to Kuwait on December 21 and 22, marking the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Gulf nation in 43 years. The visit is at the invitation of the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (CPV & OIA) at the Ministry of External Affairs, highlighted the significance of the visit. “PM Modi will undertake a visit to Kuwait on December 21 and 22 on the invitation of the Amir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. This marks the first visit by an Indian PM to Kuwait in 43 years, and therefore, it assumes considerable significance,” Chatterjee stated.

During his stay, Prime Minister Modi will be accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Bayan Palace and will engage in high-level discussions with Kuwait’s leadership. “PM Modi 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. The Crown Prince will host a banquet in honour of PM Modi,” Chatterjee added.

The Prime Minister is also scheduled to interact with the Indian diaspora at a community event, visit a labour camp, and attend the opening ceremony of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup as a special guest of the Amir of Kuwait. “There has been a major transformation in India’s ties with the Gulf region. The honourable PM has given special emphasis to strengthening and deepening relations with the Gulf countries,” Chatterjee informed.

“The government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all workers who 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,” he added.

Preparations are underway for PM Modi’s ‘Hala Modi’ community event to be held at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Sports Complex in Kuwait.

India’s Ambassador To Kuwait Highlights Significance Of PM Modi’s Visit

India’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Adarsh Swaika, emphasised the visit’s importance. “The visit of the honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very significant, particularly in the context of three important facts: this is the first visit to Kuwait after 43 years, the only Gulf country PM Modi had not visited so far, and the first high-level visit in a decade. This makes the visit very special,” Swaika told news agency ANI.

Swaika underscored the vital role of the Indian expatriate community in Kuwait, noting that it is the largest expatriate group in the country. Last year, remittances from Kuwait to India amounted to $6.3 billion. Additionally, India is among Kuwait’s top trading partners, with Kuwait being India’s sixth-largest crude oil supplier. Bilateral trade exceeded $2 billion last year, with an increasing presence of “Make in India” products.

The ambassador also discussed mutual investments and the alignment of economic goals with Kuwait’s Vision 2035. “We are seeing investments from Kuwaiti companies in India, including from the sovereign wealth fund Kuwait Investment Authority. Similarly, many Indian companies are actively executing large-scale infrastructure projects in Kuwait,” he said, as quoted by ANI.

In recent months, high-level diplomatic engagements have further strengthened ties between the two nations. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Kuwait in August, and Kuwait’s Foreign Minister reciprocated with a visit to India in December. Prime Minister Modi also met Kuwait’s Crown Prince in New York in September.

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A press release from the Ministry of External Affairs highlighted the traditionally close and friendly relations between India and Kuwait, underscoring strong economic and people-to-people linkages. “The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait,” the statement read.

The last Indian prime minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.