Making friends in the Gulf region

India’s decision to upgrade its relations with Kuwait to a strategic partnership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit over the weekend to the West Asian country, the first by an Indian premier in more than four decades, were timely signals of its importance in the extended neighbourhood. After all, Kuwait is home to one million Indians, one of the largest concentrations of citizens in the region, and the sixth- largest crude supplier to India. Kuwait is also the current chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with which India is negotiating a free trade deal. As one of India’s primary sources of oil and home to more than nine million Indians, West Asia is central to India’s foreign policy concerns.

India’s outreach to West Asian powers has coincided with a shift by those countries from their long-standing proximity to Pakistan because of an understanding of the greater benefits of strategic and economic ties with New Delhi. This outreach comprises both bilateral deals with key countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and multilateral engagements such as the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. New Delhi has managed to build these ties without upsetting any of the major fault lines that shape relations among various countries in West Asia.

Strategic ties between India and Kuwait received a boost from the finalisation of an agreement on defence cooperation, which envisages joint exercises, training, collaboration in the defence industry and supply of military equipment. Given that the Kuwait Investment Authority has already pumped more than $10 billion into India, the two countries decided to explore new opportunities in areas such as technology, tourism, health care and food security. They also decided to fast-track negotiations for a bilateral investment treaty. There was also consensus on enhancing cooperation in exploration and production of oil and gas, petrochemical industries, renewable energy, refining, and Kuwait’s participation in India’s strategic petroleum reserve programme.

While India’s relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the main players in West Asia, are better than ever, it is sound policy to develop equally close ties with the other Arab States at a time when a lot of Indian interests are closely tied to developments in the region. The welfare of Indian expatriates and their remittances are crucial for New Delhi. Futuristic plans for collaboration in energy security and food security will help provide a new direction to the age-old ties between India and Kuwait.