PM Modi Begins Kuwait Visit Today: To Meet Emir and Indian Diaspora

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Kuwait on Saturday for a two-day trip, marking the first visit by an Indian leader to the country in over 40 years.

The last prime ministerial visit from the Indian side to Kuwait was 43 years ago. The late former premier Indira Gandhi visited Kuwait in 1981, while then vice president Hamid Ansari visited the West Asian country in 2009.

In his two-day trip, Prime Minister Modi will hold meetings with Kuwait’s top leadership.

Modi is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of the Amir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Besides meeting the Amir, he will hold talks with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and the prime minister. These meetings will allow the two sides to review ties in areas such as trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people contacts.

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He will also visit a labour camp housing Indian blue-collar workers, address an Indian community event and attend the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup football tournament.

“Today and tomorrow, I will be visiting Kuwait. This visit will deepen India’s historical linkages with Kuwait. I look forward to meeting His Highness the Amir, the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Kuwait,” Modi wrote on X before leaving for Kuwait. “This evening, I will be interacting with the Indian community and will also attend the inauguration ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup.”

Preparations were underway for Modi’s ‘Hala Modi’ community event which will be held at Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Sports Complex in Kuwait, news agency ANI reported.

A day ahead of the prime minister’s trip, the ministry of external affairs said Modi’s visit to Kuwait is expected to “open a new chapter” in India-Kuwait relations.

India-Kuwait relations

India is among Kuwait’s top trading partners and two-way trade was worth $10.47 billion during 2023-24. Indian exports 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. One million Indians make up the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.

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