India, Kuwait to boost partnership in tech, trade

India and Kuwait signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to set up a Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) at the level of Foreign Ministers, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The MoU details the outcome of talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Kuwaiti counterpart Abdullah Ali Al Yahya.

The two ministers met in New Delhi today, marking the first official visit of Al Yahya as Kuwait’s Foreign Minister to India. This was their second meeting in four months.

The JCC will facilitate the establishment of new joint working groups in areas such as trade, investment, education, technology, agriculture, security and culture.

“The JCC mechanism will serve as an umbrella institutional structure to review and monitor all aspects of our bilateral relations, including new and existing joint working groups on hydrocarbons, health and consular matters,” the MEA said.

The ministers also reviewed the full range of India-Kuwait ties, covering political, trade, investment, energy, food security and people-to-people relations. They exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Al Yahya also made a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the visit. Modi expressed gratitude for Kuwait’s efforts in supporting the welfare of India’s over one million-strong expatriate community in the country.

On X, Modi posted, “I thank the Kuwaiti leadership for the welfare of Indian nationals. India is committed to advancing our deep-rooted and historical ties for the benefit of our people and the region.”