ShareKUWAIT: His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Sunday received India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, who arrived in Kuwait on an official visit on Sunday. His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah also received the Indian minister. In addition to Kuwait’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, the meetings were attended by Director of the Office of His Highness the Crown Prince, Lieutenant General (Ret) Jamal Theyab, Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs at the Diwan of His Highness the Crown Prince Mazen Al-Essa, Assistant Foreign Minister for Asian Affairs Ambassador Samih Hayat, Ambassador of Kuwait to India Mishal Al-Shamali and Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Dr Adarsh Swaika.
While sharing centuries-old bonds of goodwill and friendship between Kuwait and India, Dr Jaishankar conveyed the greetings of India’s President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Our contemporary partnership is expanding steadily,” Jaishankar posted on X. “The diaspora serves as a living bridge between the societies of India and Kuwait and as India looks to upgrade the level of bilateral partnership with Kuwait, the importance of the diaspora will only grow further,” said Dr Jaishankar. He called for a diplomatic solution to the escalating Middle East crisis, saying that India supports a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue.
In an interview, the minister spoke at length, among other topics, about India’s expanding bilateral partnership with Kuwait and other GCC countries in multiple sectors, elaborating on how India has given a particular primacy to cultivating closer ties with GCC states. During his first visit to Kuwait in June 2021, an MoU was signed between India and Kuwait on labor. “I am really looking forward to engaging the Kuwaiti leadership on this visit. It is a longstanding relationship, comfortable in many respects and definitely encouraging in its potential. We have traded with each other since time immemorial and there has been an Indian community in Kuwait since then. As a result, there is an intuitive appreciation of each other that is a source of strength for our diplomacy,” Dr Jaishankar said prior to his meetings with the Kuwaiti leaders.
Highlighting some of the crucial aspects of the ties, Jaishankar said a million Indians reside in Kuwait and send back remittances of $1 billion. Kuwait is India’s sixth biggest energy partner and the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has made substantial portfolio investments in India. “We believe that there is growing FDI interest now. Bilateral trade has long been at the $10-15 billion mark. Many Indian companies are involved in infrastructure projects and offer services across multiple domains. Politically, we have long been understanding of each other’s interests. Overall, the relationship is strong, and in many ways, ready for an upgrade,” he pointed out.
Kuwait-India bilateral trade has been steady, with the energy and food sectors being its mainstay. In recent years, we have seen the beginnings of diversification. More ‘Made in India’ products have entered the Kuwait market, including vehicles, electric machinery and telecom equipment, he mentioned.
“The Gulf is such a proximate region with major economic, energy, diaspora, security and political stakes,” Jaishankar said. He said India understands that the GCC region accounts for one-sixth of India’s total trade and one-third of its total diaspora. Thirty percent of India’s oil and 70 percent of gas is imported from the GCC. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has given a particular primacy to cultivating closer ties with GCC member states,” he pointed out adding that India’s endeavor has been to engage GCC both collectively and through its individual members.
Palestinian crisis
Answering a question on the escalating conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, Dr Jaishankar said the two situations in Palestine and Ukraine are very different. “What is common is the need for diplomacy. Where Palestine is concerned, India supports a two-state solution. We feel that in the current conflict in Gaza, there should be due concern for civilian casualties and observance of International humanitarian law. We have been giving humanitarian assistance through UNRWA and will continue to do so. We also have some notable development projects in the West Bank,” he said. Regarding Ukraine, he said India believes that this is not the era of war and that differences should be settled through dialogue and diplomacy. As a country firmly on the side of peace, we are always willing to contribute to any efforts in the right direction, he stated.
Food security
“As India’s own manufacturing capacities deepen, this trend can be expected to intensify. There are some factors that could facilitate this journey. We have FTA discussions underway in the GCC format. I am aware of Kuwait’s interest in reaching a food security understanding with us, but there are some specific problems pertaining to anti-dumping duties. There is scope to expand cooperation in pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. Recognition of Indian pharmacopeia would help. We could also explore trade settlements in local currencies. We hope that Kuwait could consider connecting its KNET payment infrastructure to India’s UPI,” Jaishankar explained.
Regarding the growing partnership in the field of oil and energy, Dr Jaishankar said: “India is certainly one of Kuwait’s major energy partners, especially oil and gas. This is likely to continue for some time. In fact, studies done by IEA suggest that India will actually be one of the major drivers of new demand in this domain because much of our growth is still ahead of us. At the same time, it should be noted that we have an ambitious renewable energy target. The objective is to install 500 GW by 2030, out of which 195 GW has already been done.”
The minister said India has been exceptionally active in advocating solar energy and adopting biofuels. “Two major initiatives - the International Solar Alliance and the Global Biofuel Alliance - bear our imprint. There is now great interest in green hydrogen, on which we have announced a national mission. Similarly, on green ammonia as well. While there is scope for cooperation in the upstream and downstream hydrocarbon sector, it also extends to other forms of energy,” he said.
Inviting more Kuwaiti investors to India, Jaishankar said: “The opportunities in India for investment are enormous. There is an extraordinary pace of infrastructure building, whether we talk of highways, rail, airports or grids. There is confidence that we will be the third largest global economy by the end of the decade and it is generally expected that this growth rate of 7-8 percent would be maintained for decades to come.”
He said the number of education and skill institutions has doubled in India since 2014 and the spurt in innovation and startups in the last decade has been another hallmark of change. Fintech advancements have been dramatic, especially with regards to digital payments. “The world is today recognizing these trends, making us one of the largest destinations of international investment flows. We would be keen to see Kuwait take more interest in investment possibilities,” he stated.
Cultural exchanges
Highlighting India’s soft power, Jaishankar said it has kept pace with its growing capabilities, especially in the last decade. “In Kuwait and the Gulf, perhaps the most obvious example are Indian movies. Many of you are probably as up to date as us, maybe even more so. Because of the community serving as a living bridge, you are equally conversant with our cuisine and performing arts. What has made a more recent impression across the world are young Indian artistic talent, expressing themselves in different mediums. You see that in exhibitions and galleries, as in other forms of creativity,” he said.
“The diaspora helps build intuitive understanding and serves to smoothen so many of our dealings. When people in Kuwait think of India, it helps us when they associate our nation with a close friend or acquaintance. As we look to upgrade the level of our partnership, I believe that the importance of the diaspora will only grow further. I am sure that Kuwaiti authorities will also similarly appreciate their full potential and provide even more encouragement and facilities. After all, a community of a million people means that there are a million ambassadors between our nations,” Jaishankar said.
“India is the most populous nation today, the fifth largest economy and an increasing contributor to global good. Through our presence in the Security Council and beyond, we have sought to shape the evolution of the world order in the direction of greater multi-polarity and democratization. In times of crisis, whether it is the COVID or natural disasters, India has stepped forward as a ‘first responder’. The people of Kuwait saw that when we sent a medical team for deployment. International maritime shipping appreciates it when we deploy the navy in the Arabian Sea to secure them. Numerous UN Peacekeeping Operations benefit from India’s participation,” he said.
“By welcoming Kuwait as an SCO dialogue partner during our presidency, we strengthened both our bilateral ties and Kuwait’s larger diplomatic interests. I am confident that such understanding will keep our partnership steadily growing,” Jaishankar concluded.
