Kuwait Gives PM Modi a Warm Welcome and Guard of Honor

 Kuwait: An Important Crude Oil Supplier and Trade Partner of India

Kuwait City: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a formal Guard of Honour at Bayan Palace on Sunday during his two-day historic visit to Kuwait. His meetings with Kuwait's top leadership were preceded by this formal welcome. The first Indian prime minister to visit the Gulf state in forty-three years, PM Modi landed in Kuwait on Saturday. Indira Gandhi was the latest Indian politician to travel to Kuwait, having done so in 1981.

Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait, invited Prime Minister Modi to visit his country. After the lavish welcome, PM Modi had in-depth talks on a variety of bilateral and international topics with the Emir, Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, and his Kuwaiti counterpart.

As the sixth-largest exporter of crude oil and a source of 3% of India's energy needs, Kuwait is an important trading partner. The significance of enhancing India-Kuwait ties, especially in the areas of trade, energy, and strategic collaboration, is highlighted by this visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the Indian diaspora in Kuwait prior to his formal engagements, stressing the close and complex ties between India and Kuwait. He expressed his opinions on social media, writing: "India and Kuwait have a long-standing connection based on mutual respect, history, and culture. We have strong connections in commerce, investment, and energy. Additionally, our countries' affinity is strengthened by the thriving Indian diaspora.

PM Modi spoke with about 1,500 Indian laborers at the Gulf Spic Labour Camp in the Meena Abdullah neighborhood during his first public appearance during the Kuwait visit. These laborers, who make up Kuwait's workforce, are from different Indian states. 

Months after a catastrophic fire in June that killed over forty-five Indian nationals in a building housing foreign workers in the Mangaf area of southern Kuwait, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Kuwait. The Prime Minister's visit to the labor camp is a sign of India's dedication to the welfare of Indian workers overseas, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.

In addition to addressing important concerns regarding the wellbeing of Indian expatriates in the Gulf, PM Modi's diplomatic engagement with Kuwait seeks to strengthen ties between the two countries.