Modi to travel to Kuwait on Dec 21-22 in first visit by an Indian PM since 1981 | Latest News India

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Kuwait on December 21-22 to bolster bilateral ties and energy cooperation, marking the first visit by an Indian premier to the West Asian country in 43 years.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 22. (PTI File Photo/Via PMO)

Modi, who is visiting at the invitation of the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, will hold talks with the country’s leadership and interact with the Indian community, the external affairs ministry said on Wednesday.

“The visit will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait,” the ministry said.

Late former prime minister Indira Gandhi visited Kuwait in 1981, while the then vice president Hamid Ansari travelled to the country in 2009. The last high-level visit from either side was that of the Kuwaiti prime minister to India in 2013. Modi and Kuwait’s crown prince met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.

India and Kuwait share close ties rooted in history and underpinned by economic and strong people-to-people linkages. India is among Kuwait’s top trading partners and bilateral trade was worth $10.47 billion during 2023-24. Indian exports have increased from $1.56 billion in 2022-23 to $2.1 billion in 2023-24, with year-on-year growth of 34.7%.

Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude supplier, meeting 3% of the country’s energy needs, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed $10 billion.

Indians are Kuwait’s largest expatriate community of about one million and the two sides have benefited from mutual support in challenging times. The Indian rupee was legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, symbolising the enduring economic ties.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar visited Kuwait in August, while Kuwait’s foreign minister, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, travelled to India earlier this month.

India and Kuwait institutionalised their cooperation through the Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC), which was established during the Kuwaiti foreign minister’s visit to New Delhi in December. The two sides also set up seven new joint working groups (JWGs) in the areas of trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security and culture. These complement three existing JWGs in hydrocarbons, health and consular matters.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}