New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to Kuwait Saturday. His trip to the Middle East, though, will not include Saudi Arabia as initially planned.
“Visits at any level are always as per the mutual convenience of both sides. Unless you have mutually convenient dates you will not be able to have a visit whether it is an outgoing visit or an incoming visit,” Arun Kumar Chatterjee said at a special media briefing Friday.
Kumar is Secretary, MEA, looking after Consular, Passport and Visa Division (CPV) & Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA).
He was responding to a query as to why the Saudi leg of the trip was not taking place. “In Kuwait’s case, we were able to get the mutual convenience of the Emir who in this case has invited the PM, so the visit worked out.”
India under Modi has established strong ties with the Middle East with the Prime Minister sharing personal friendship with some of the leaders.
Modi last visited Saudi Arabia in 2019 while Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, visited India last September.
India is Saudi Arabia’s second largest trading partner whereas Saudi Arabia is India’s fourth largest trading partner. Both countries also have a strong partnership in the area of energy.
Modi’s visit to Kuwait is the first by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years and is important since it is the last Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member state left for Modi to visit.
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