PM Modi Kuwait Visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will go on a two-day visit to Kuwait from Saturday (December 21, 2024). This will be the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to this Gulf country in the last 43 years. Announcing the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said that it would provide an opportunity to further strengthen the 'multifaceted' relations between India and Kuwait. The Ministry of External Affairs said that PM Modi is visiting at the invitation of Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. During this visit, PM Modi will hold talks with the leadership of Kuwait and will also meet the Indian community living there.

According to news agency Pretr, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, "India and Kuwait have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations. These relations are rooted in history, based on strong economic and people-to-people ties." The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi. She visited Kuwait in 1981. She was also the first Prime Minister of India to visit Kuwait. Kuwait is currently the chairman of the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC). The GCC includes countries like the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. Kuwait is the only GCC member country where Narendra Modi has not visited since becoming PM. 

Kuwait is India's top trading partner
India is one of Kuwait's top trading partners. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait. Around 10 lakh Indians live in Kuwait. These NRIs have been acting as a bridge between the two countries. The Ministry of External Affairs said, "This visit of PM Modi will provide an opportunity to further strengthen the multifaceted relations between India and Kuwait." Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah visited India on a private visit in July 2017. The last high-level visit from both sides was the visit of Kuwait's Prime Minister to India in 2013.

Modi met the Crown Prince in September
Recent high-level meetings include PM Modi's meeting with the Crown Prince of Kuwait on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2024. India's visit to Kuwait in 2024 also includes the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on August 18. Similarly, Kuwait's visit to India also includes the visit of Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on December 3-4. During this visit, Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya also met PM Modi and extended an invitation to visit Kuwait on behalf of the Kuwaiti leadership. The two foreign ministers also met during the first India-GCC Strategic Dialogue Committee meeting in Riyadh on September 9.

Kuwait is one of India's top trading partners with a business of $10.47 billion
. Bilateral trade between India and Kuwait was $10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24. Kuwait is India's sixth largest crude oil supplier, meeting three percent of the country's energy needs. Indian exports to Kuwait reached $2 billion for the first time, while Kuwait Investment Authority's investment in India has exceeded $10 billion. India and Kuwait have traditionally had friendly relations. These relations date back to the time before oil was discovered. When maritime trade with India was the backbone of Kuwait's economy.

Diplomatic relations were established in 1961 According to experts who keep an eye on relations between the two countries, Kuwait's economy revolved around its port and maritime activities. This included shipbuilding, pearling, fishing, dates, Arabian horses and sending wooden boats to India. These things were traded in exchange for wood, grains, clothes and spices. The Indian rupee remained a legal currency in Kuwait until 1961, symbolizing lasting economic and cultural ties. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established in 1961. India was initially represented by a business commissioner. 

Dr. Zakir Hussain was the first to visit Kuwait
There have been several high-level visits between the two countries over the past six decades. Indian leaders have visited Kuwait including Vice President Dr. Zakir Hussain (1965), Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (1981) and Vice President Hamid Ansari (2009). VVIP visits to India from Kuwait include Crown Prince and Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah (1964), Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1980) and again in 1983 (for NAM Summit), Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (2006); Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah (2013).

Kuwait has a population of only 3 million.
Kuwait is a sovereign Arab emirate located in West Asia. Kuwait is an Arabic word, which means 'a palace close to the water.' It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north.RKuwait is bordered by Iraq in the north and west. The maximum distance from north to south is 200 km and from east to west is 170 km. Its total population is only 3 million. 25 percent of its population is Kuwaiti, 30 percent Indian, 12 percent Bangladeshi and only 12 percent are citizens of other Asian countries. Most of them are Arabs.