December 22, 2024
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a two-day historic visit to Kuwait, was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at the Bayan Palace on Sanday, ahead of his talks with Kuwait’s top leadership. Narendra Modi reached Kuwait on Saturday for a two-day visit, the first for any Indian Prime Minister in 43 years. The last Indian prime minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.

The Prime Minister is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. After receiving the grand welcome, Modi held extensive talks with the Amir, Crown Prince Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah and his Kuwaiti counterpart.

Kuwait is India’s critical trade partner, ranking sixth-largest supplier of crude oil and meeting 3 per cent of India’s energy needs.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi took to X and highlighted multifaceted ties between India and Kuwait. “India and Kuwait share multifaceted ties rooted in history, culture and mutual respect. Our strong relations extend across energy, trade and investments. We also have a vibrant Indian diaspora strengthening the friendship further,” he wrote.

Earlier as the first programme of his visit to Kuwait, PM Modi visited the Gulf Spic Labour Camp in the Mina Abdullah area of Kuwait with a workforce of around 1,500 Indian nationals. He interacted with a cross-section of Indian workers from different states of India, enquired about their well-being, and also sat at a table with some of them when snacks were served.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit comes months after over 45 Indians were killed in a devastating fire in a building housing foreign workers in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf locality in June. “The visit to the labour camp is symbolic of the importance attached by the Prime Minister to the welfare of Indian workers abroad,” an MEA statement said.

Indians constitute 21 per cent (1 million) of the total population of Kuwait and 30 per cent of its workforce (approx 9 lakhs). Indian workers top the Private Sector as well as domestic sector (DSW) workforce list, according to the Indian Embassy in Kuwait.