With Kuwait now leading the GCC, the visit also highlighted the region’s role, with a fair sprinkling of Indians as the majority expatriate population of some member countries in India’s growing global engagement, particularly with the Gulf states. Kuwait was the GCC (consisting of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE) country where PM Modi was visiting for the first time.
This is Modi’s 20th Citizen Award in 10 years. Rather than a personal honor for a prime minister who has personal ties to many world leaders, it should be read as a sign of India’s growing role in world affairs, which has been seen in a country that has emerged as a major global voice in recent times. the south
An obscure reason for the warmth shown during the first two-day visit after Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s visit in 1981 may be that the bitterness of the past has been forgotten. When Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces invaded in 1990, the rancor may have been fueled by Kuwait’s perception that India was not sufficiently sympathetic to its plight and cause.
The attack itself lasted a week after allied forces returned Kuwait to its rulers, but fact-based or not, it may have taken a while to die down. Martin Luther King said when he so vividly described that sentiment, “In the end, we will remember the silence of our friends, not the words of our enemies.”
Today, Kuwait independently acknowledges the contribution of Indian labor in building Kuwait from a rich expanse of sand to a modern nation with a proud capital. Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the labor camp was India’s way of appreciating the work done by its blue-collar workforce to develop large parts of the Gulf region.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mesal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah met Prime Minister Modi and the leaders shared a common vision of the future which the talks were fruitful. Towards launching several MoUs that India has to offer in terms of technology and tech infra, fintech, and pharmaceuticals.
The defense deal, which deals with training, maritime security and joint production of defense equipment, is indicative of India’s growing strength as a producer of defense equipment and gives a heightened weight to the relationship in strategic terms. India’s offer to many nations during a year of intense diplomacy and Prime Minister’s visit is a reflection of its growing technological capabilities as well as a diplomatic approach that prioritizes issues of mutual benefit.