​Key partnership: On India and Kuwait ties 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait, the first by an Indian Prime Minister since 1981, and nearly 12 years since a visit by the Kuwaiti Prime Minister to India, completed the loop in India’s outreach to the Gulf countries. Kuwait is a key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member. Half a million Indians work there, making them the largest expatriate community. This community has grown on the foundations laid by historical trade and travel ties — few would remember that Kuwait was an entrepôt for India’s trading routes across West Asia, courtesy the British East India company; the Kuwaiti elite had homes in Mumbai and until 1961, when Kuwait won its independence, the Indian rupee was legal tender. Bilateral trade even today tops $10 billion, which is considerable given Kuwait’s smaller size. Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude supplier and fourth largest LPG supplier, meeting 3% of its energy needs. However, while people-to-people links and trade have continued, ties have lagged in strategic areas and defence cooperation, with some residual misgivings due to India’s close ties with Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. This is a gap that Mr. Modi’s visit sought to bridge, with the announcement of a Kuwait partnership, the latest in India’s strategic partnerships in the region. After talks with the Kuwaiti Emir, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the two sides signed an MoU to institutionalise defence cooperation. Kuwait’s highest honour, the Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer, was conferred on Mr. Modi, cementing the importance of the visit.

The visit came at an important moment in the broader region. The continuing bombardment of Gaza by Israel, and attacks on Lebanon and Yemen are making West Asia peace a more fragile and distant proposition. The ouster of the Assad regime from Syria has also empowered Islamist radicals and could spell more violence. In addition, key Indian infrastructure and connectivity initiatives such as the I2U2 and IMEC may not see any further progress until the situation calms. The incoming Trump administration’s domestic priorities in the U.S. and Europe’s preoccupation with the Russia-Ukraine conflict will leave a possible vacuum of support and leadership for many of the world’s other trouble spots. This is an important moment for India to strengthen bilateral ties with each of the countries in the region, and secure energy and connectivity lines, while ensuring the welfare and rights of over eight million Indians living and working there. Despite the Opposition’s criticism of Mr. Modi’s frequent visits abroad, New Delhi may find it needs to plan more such international standalone forays for the Prime Minister in the near future.