PM Modi leaves for Kuwait, first visit by an Indian Prime Minister after 43 years, know the complete schedule

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day visit to Kuwait. This visit is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait after 43 years. Modi will hold talks with Kuwaiti leaders, visit an Indian labor camp, address the Indian community and attend the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup football tournament. During this period, the focus will be on strengthening relations in many important areas including defense and trade. India and Kuwait are also negotiating a bilateral investment treaty and defense cooperation agreement. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kuwait is significant in many ways. This visit is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait after 43 years. This is expected to start a new chapter in the relations between the two countries. This visit will not only strengthen the partnership in the existing areas, but will also open new avenues of cooperation in the future. The visit will also boost relations between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The GCC includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. India’s total trade with GCC countries in the financial year 2022-23 stood at US $ 184.46 billion. Kuwait currently chairs the GCC. India is negotiating a free trade agreement with the GCC. It is expected that both sides will soon reach an agreement on this.

Hope to start a new chapter in relationships

Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said, ‘The historic visit of the Prime Minister is expected to open a new chapter in India-Kuwait bilateral relations.’ he/she further said, ‘This will not only strengthen the partnership in existing areas, but will also open new avenues of future cooperation, strengthen our shared values ​​and build a strong and dynamic partnership for the future.’ On Prime Minister Modi’s visit to a labor camp, Chatterjee said the Indian government attaches great importance to the welfare of all Indian workers abroad.

What did PM Modi say on Kuwait visit?

Giving information about his/her Kuwait visit, PM Modi wrote on his/her official handle on social media platform X, ‘Today and tomorrow I will go to Kuwait. This visit will further deepen India’s historical ties with Kuwait. I look forward to meeting his/her Highness the Amir, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait. This evening I will meet the Indian community and will also attend the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup.

Giving information about this visit, the Prime Minister’s Office quoted PM Modi as saying, ‘Today, I am going on a two-day visit to Kuwait at the invitation of his/her Highness Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait. . We greatly value the historical ties with Kuwait, which have been nurtured for generations. We are not only strong trade and energy partners, but we also have a common interest in peace, security, stability and prosperity in the West Asia region.

‘An opportunity to prepare a roadmap for future partnership’

The post further said, ‘I look forward to my meeting with his/her Highness the Amir, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait. This will be an opportunity to chart a roadmap for future partnership for the benefit of our people and the region. I look forward to meeting the Indian expatriate in Kuwait, who has contributed immensely to strengthening the bonds of friendship between the two countries. I express my gratitude to the leadership of Kuwait for inviting me to the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup, a major sporting event in the Gulf region. I look forward to being a part of this celebration of athletic excellence and regional unity. I am confident that this visit will further strengthen the special ties and bonds of friendship between the people of India and Kuwait.

Indian PM’s first visit to Kuwait in last 43 years

This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in the last 43 years. Earlier in the year 1981, the then Prime Minister of the country Indira Gandhi had visited Kuwait. Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar visited Kuwait in August 2024, while Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al Yahya visited India on 3-4 December 2024. It is noteworthy that in 2009, the then Vice President of India Hamid Ansari visited Kuwait, which was the most important visit of an Indian politician to Kuwait after Indira Gandhi’s visit. After this, in the year 2013, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Jabir Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah also visited India.