 | |
 India |  Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of India, Kuwait City, Kuwait | Embassy of Kuwait, New Delhi, India |
| Envoy | |
| Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Paramita Tripathi | Kuwaiti Ambassador to India Fahad Ahmad Al-Awadhi |
India–Kuwait relations are bilateraldiplomatic relations between theRepublic of India and theState of Kuwait. The two countries share friendly ties. Kuwait houses a large expatriate Indian population and is the source for 10–12% of India's oil imports while India is among the largest trade partners of Kuwait.
The recent discovery of artefacts such as pottery and jewellery from the Kuwaiti island ofFailaka points to commercial and cultural interaction between the two countries dating back several millennia. Prior to the discovery of oil in Kuwait, Indo–Kuwait trade revolved arounddates and pedigreed horses, with Kuwaiti sailors making annual trips between theShatt-al-Arab and the western ports of India to conduct the trade. The horse trade was ended in 1945 afterWorld War II, following which trade turned to pearls andteak-wood.[1]
Diplomatic relations between the countries began in June 1962 with the appointment of Yacoub Abdulaziz al-Rushaid as the first Kuwaiti Ambassador to India.[1] India was among the earliest countries to recognise Kuwaiti independence[2] while Kuwait was one of the first countries to extend support to India during thewar with China in 1962. During the 1950s and 1960sBombay was a hub for many Kuwaiti businesses and the emir himself maintained a house there on theMarine Drive.[3] While relations between the countries have traditionally been warm, they were strained in the early 1990s due to India's pro-Iraq stance followingIraq's invasion of Kuwait. India declined an audience to the Kuwaiti ambassador in New Delhi, sided with Iraq during theGulf War and became the only country to shift its embassy from Kuwait toBasra during the war. Thedemolition of the 16th-century Babri Masjid by extremists in India also impacted ties, with Kuwait calling for Prime MinisterNarasimha Rao to rebuild the structure and hand it over toIndian Muslims. TheGovernment of Kuwait however was quick to act against calls for dismissing Hindu employees from Kuwaiti firms and for shutting shops to protest against India in retaliation for the historic mosque's demolition. In 1992, theExternal Affairs MinisterMadhavsinh Solanki pulled off a "diplomatic triumph" on his visit to Kuwait that helped overcome the strains that had crept into bilateral ties. In 1994, the Kuwait government struck down a proposal in theKuwait National Assembly that called for a ban on entry and recruitment ofHindu workers in Kuwait to prevent any worsening of relations with a "friendly India".[4]
There has been regular high level bilateralstate visits between the two countries.Vice-Presidents of India,Dr Zakir Husain in 1965 andHamid Ansari in 2009 andPrime MinisterIndira Gandhi in 1981 have led Indian visits to Kuwait while theCrown Prince andPrime MinisterSheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah in 1964, theEmir SheikhJaber Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 1980 and 1983 and the Emir SheikhSabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in 2006 have led state visits from Kuwait to India.[5]
Indians form one of the largestexpatriate communities in Kuwait numbering about 640,000 people. Their presence in white collar jobs have been increasing consistently especially in the electronic, industrial, architectural and engineering sectors. Kuwait's Ministry of Health also employs a significant number of Indian medics and paramedics.[1] Indians have been described by the Emir's special envoy as having acquired a special space in Kuwait as "a brilliant and the least problematic expatriate community which works for the overall development of Kuwait".[6] There are however a large number of Indians working in low paying jobs and in 2011 as many as 22,000 Indians were found to be staying illegally in Kuwait and theIndian embassy in Kuwait facilitated the departure of 12,825 Indian nationals to India following the declaration of an Amnesty in Kuwait.[7][8] Indians in Kuwait remit over US$3 billion annually to India and Kuwait is home to 300 Indian associations and 18Indian schools affiliated to theCentral Board of Secondary Education,New Delhi.[9]
The Kuwaiti economy, before the discovery of oil, depended heavily on maritime activities and trade. Kuwait was a centre forship-building andpearl diving andfishing were important commercial activities. Until 1961 theIndian Rupee was thelegal tender in Kuwait and Indo–Kuwaiti commerce revolved around trade in agricultural goods, textiles and horses.[10]
In 2011–12,bilateral trade amounted to US$17.56 billion, marking a 44% rise over the previous year.Petroleum accounts for the bulk of the trade, with the non-oil trade accounting for only US$1.9 billion. Thebalance of trade is heavily in favour of Kuwait with Indian exports to Kuwait amounting to a mere US$1.1 billion in 2011–12. Petroleum imports worth US$15.67 billion from Kuwait makes it India's second largest supplier of oil from theGCC countries next only toSaudi Arabia.[11] Indian exports to Kuwait in 2011–12 consisted of value added goods such asiron and steel products,boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances,electrical machinery and equipment and food items.[10] Kuwait is India's third largest trade partner in theArab world and it accounted for 3.34% of India's global imports in 2011. India is however Kuwait's second largest export market and its fifth largest source of imports and has consistently been among the top ten trading partners of Kuwait with bilateral trade doubling to US$17.5 billion in 2011–12 from US$8.35 billion in 2007–08.[12]
In year 2022-2023, Commercially, growth can be seen in economic and trade cooperation between the two countries with bilateral trade amounting to US$13.8 billion for the period 2022-2023 recording its highest levels ever, with an increase of 12.8% on an annual basis.[13]
Indianpublic sector companies in theinsurance and aviation sectors have offices in Kuwait, while private companies includingLarsen & Toubro,Punj Lloyd andKalpataru have implemented major projects in Kuwait including in its petroleum and power sectors.The Al-Ghanim Group, the KAPICO group, Global Investment House and Kuwait Finance House are the important Kuwaiti companies in India.[10] India has in recent years mooted joint-venture projects between the two countries towards establishing new facilities in theoil and gas sector in both countries,[14][15] while Kuwait has welcomed Indian companies to bid for projects in Kuwait as it undertakes a massive infrastructure development programme.[16]
India and Kuwait have signed several agreements relating to scientific and technological cooperation including medical cooperation and in the areas of culture and education.[17] There are also agreements between Indian and Kuwaiti institutions of higher education and research and agreements onavoidance of Double Taxation, drug reduction and prevention of illicit trafficking innarcotic drugs and programmes for cultural and information exchanges between Kuwait and India.[9][18]
The defence and security relations have so far been limited to training and medical cooperation with Bilateral naval cooperation continuing to be the main element of defence cooperation. Four Indiannaval ships visited Kuwait in July and October in the year 2022.[19] On 14 August 2023, Indian Ambassador to Kuwait Adarsh Swaika, called on the Naval Chief of Kuwait Brigadier General Hazza Al-Alati and held discussions on strengthening Navy-to-Navy cooperation between India and Kuwait.[20][21] On 19 August 2023 Indian Navy's indigenously built destroyer,INS Visakhapatnam docked atAl-Shuwaikh Port adding a new chapter to the bilateral navy-to-navy cooperation between India and Kuwait.[22] The ship’s visit was in continuation of the increased maritime cooperation witnessed during 2021 when five Indian naval ships visited Kuwait for transportingliquid medical oxygen. It was followed by a visit ofINS TEG in July 2022 and three ships from First Training Squadron having a port of call in Kuwait in October 2022.[23] On 22 August 2023, there will be aPASSEX conducted withKuwait navy.[24][25]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, in May 2020, the Indian Government sent a 15-member rapid response team and provided medical supplies to combat the pandemic.[26] Kuwait also provided urgent medical assistance to India including Liquid Medical Oxygen,Oxygen concentrators andventilators in during the second wave of COVID-19 in India during May 2021.[27][28][29]
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