Welcome to Indian Premier Narendra Modi

By Dr. Haila Al-Mekaimi

The visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the State of Kuwait on 21–22 December is among the most important and prominent diplomatic visits in the historical relations between the two countries. It is the first visit by an Indian prime minister since 1981. The long gap in visit may be shocking information for many considering the large number of Indians in this country and strength of Kuwaiti-Indian relations, which usually reflect high intensity visits by leaders.

Prime Minister Modi is calculated on this initiative and also the wise Kuwaiti political leadership under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah – may God protect him – welcome and adopt this important visit.

A few months ago, I participated in the Valdai Forum under the auspices of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and spoke in one of the dialogue sessions about the concept of governance of the international system, a concept that His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled passionately talked about at the United Nations General Assembly recently. Among my colleagues in the session was the famous Brazilian economist Paolo Batista, the former head of the IMF, who spoke about the Russian proposal submitted in BRICS on the new financial system alternative to the dollar.

Some of the other speakers at the forum were Indian economists, who spoke with distinction about political realism and the importance of international balance. Changing the global financial system is not that easy, but the American dominance of the global monetary system is also no longer accepted by everyone. So finding a balance between the two positions is important. And, this is a policy that India has established since its independence in 1947.

Finding a balance in global positions is also the strategy that Kuwait has followed. A small port that was based on the pearl trade and transport between India and Zanzibar, which then transformed to a sovereign state, Kuwait has been an advocate and patron of world peace, mediation, openness and diversity.

This similarity in approach to global issues by Kuwait and India adds to the significance of this historic visit by the Indian prime minister. Strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries is fundamentally a promotion of those universal principles.

The Indian community in Kuwait, which is considered the largest expatriate community in the country and includes both skilled workers and ordinary laborers, is an important addition to the Kuwaiti economy and to bilateral relations. In a spirit of appreciation and welcome to the Indian community in Kuwait, I had the honor of participating in their national holidays, especially in the celebration of India’s Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi on ‘Gandhi Jayanti’ Day recently.

Both sides are looking forward to the historic visit by Prime Minister Modi and for the visit to further strengthen economic partnerships, especially in the technological field, artificial intelligence and software, energy, investment, trade and health care, in addition to promoting tourism and medical and family tourism. They are sectors that Kuwait needs, especially in its quest to diversify sources of income and stimulate non-oil sectors for sustainable growth of its economy.

Writing on Kuwaiti-Indian relations leads me to talk about my participation in the Kuwaiti Cultural Week in New Delhi in 2012, which came on the initiative of the distinguished Kuwaiti ambassador to India at that time, Suleiman Al-Murshid, where I gave two lectures, the first at the Sabah Al-Ahmad Centre and the second at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The lectures were characterized by the passion of Indian students to discuss and talk about Kuwaiti-Indian relations. It was also my first visit to India where I learned a lot, and I was also keen to document it in an article entitled “Kuwait and India: Bahai”.

That week was followed by the visit of prominent Indian politician Rahul Gandhi to Kuwait, who was hosted at Kuwait University to talk to professors and researchers. This activity and this cultural, academic and media diplomacy are very important, as it establishes a solid ground on which politicians stand to make the right decisions for the future of their peoples.

Therefore, we welcome Prime Minister Modi to Kuwait, and say that your visit marks an entry into the historical record of Kuwaiti-India relations, a record that looks forward to the future, especially in light of the ambitious projects that Kuwait seeks to achieve, and for India as a rising power with a prominent and great role.

Dr. Haila Al-Mekaimi

Professor of Political Science at the College of Social Sciences in Kuwait University. She is also a Workshop Director at Gulf Research Meeting organized by the Gulf Research Centre Cambridge.