India-Kuwait Elevate Ties to Strategic Partnership

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• Prime Minister Modi paid an official visit to Kuwait marking a historic moment in India-Kuwait relations.
  • The last Indian prime minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.

Key Highlights

• Strategic Partnership: India and Kuwait agreed to elevate their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, enhancing cooperation across multiple sectors.
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the field of defense was signed, aiming to strengthen ties through joint military exercises, training, coastal defense, and maritime safety.
• Both the nations signed the Executive Program on Cooperation in the Field of Sports for 2025-2028.
  • It will strengthen cooperation in the area of sports.
• Both the nations signed the Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) for the years 2025-29.
• PM Modi was conferred with the the highest award of the State of Kuwait ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’. 

India-Kuwait Relations in Brief

• Political Relations: India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Kuwait following its independence from the British Protectorate in 1961.
  • Recently a Joint Commission on Cooperation (JCC) was established between India and Kuwait, to review and monitor the entire spectrum of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
• Energy Partnership: Kuwait is a significant energy partner, serving as India’s sixth-largest crude oil supplier and fourth-largest LPG supplier.
  • It holds approximately 6.5% of global oil reserves, underlining its strategic role in India’s energy security.
• Indian Community: Indians constitute 21 per cent (1 million) of the total population of Kuwait and 30 per cent of its workforce (approximately 9 lakh).
  • Indian workers top the private sector as well as the domestic sector workforce list.
• Trade relations: Kuwait remains one of India’s top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at $10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24.
• Medical Cooperation: An MoU on Medical Cooperation was signed in 2012, with a Joint Working Group set up to review progress.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kuwait supplied over 425 metric tons of liquid medical oxygen, oxygen concentrators, ventilators etc.

Way Ahead

• The India-Kuwait trade partnership can be further bolstered by the early conclusion of the India-GCC Free Trade Agreement, expanding trade in technology, agriculture, and manufacturing, while improving trade facilitation.
• Both countries should work together on UN reforms, including expanding the Security Council’s membership to make it more representative and effective.
• Building on Kuwait’s role in India’s energy security, both nations should explore renewable energy partnerships, particularly in solar energy, leveraging Kuwait’s membership in the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Source: PIB