KUWAIT -- Kuwait and India have agreed on raising their bilateral ties to a "strategic partnership", based on the deep-rooted and cordial relations between the two countries.

They affirmed desire to boost cooperation in all fields, and that the partnership enhances mutual interest of the two states, said a joint statement by the two sides on Sunday.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kuwait on December 21-22, in his first one, upon His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's invitation.

Modi attended the opening ceremony of the Arabian Gulf Cup for football, 'Khaleeji Zain', as a guest of honor of His Highness the Amir, on Saturday.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received the Indian premier at Bayan Palace on Sunday.

Modi expressed his deepest gratitude to His Highness the Amir for granting him the "Mubarak Al-Kabeer Order". An official meeting was held during which views on multilateral international and regional issues of common concern were discussed. Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah held official talks with his Indian peer, within the framework of new strategic partnership.

Both sides renewed their commitment to boosting bilateral ties through comprehensive and organized cooperation in political, trade, investment, defense, security, energy, culture, education and technology fields.
They recalled the decades-long historic bonds between the two peoples that have common history and rapprochement of cultures, voicing satisfaction about organized interactions on different levels that helped enhancing momentum in bilateral collaboration.

The two sides welcomed the establishment of the joint cooperation committee (JCC) between Kuwait and India that will work as a constitutional mechanism to review and follow all aspects of bilateral relations, the statement noted.
The committee will be co-chaired by Kuwait and India's Foreign Ministers, and a joint action group will be stablished to cover the domains of trade, investments, education, skills development, sciences, technology, security, agriculture, combating terror, culture, in addition to standing fields in health, manpower and others, it stated.

Furthermore, the two sides affirmed the pivotal role of trade as a link between the two countries, and big capabilities for further growth and trade diversification, it said. Due to India's economic growth and Kuwait's investment capacity, the two countries discussed different investment opportunities in India.
Kuwait expressed interest in exploring investment opportunities in technology, tourism, healthcare, food security, logistic services and others.

The Kuwaiti side welcomed steps made by India in creating an appropriate investment environment in several fields like technology, tourism, health and others. They emphasized the need of bolstering communication between Kuwait's investment institutions, and India's funds, companies and corporations.
They encouraged investment and participation in infrastructure projects, and directed concerned bodies in the two countries to speed up ending the ongoing talks on bilateral investments.

Additionally, they focused on strengthening cooperation and partnership in energy, oil, gas and renewable energy. They welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in defense that will provide the required framework of boosting ties on joint military exercises, maritime defense and others.

The two sides categorically condemned terrorism in its forms and crossing-border terror, calling for drying up the sources of terror funding and dismantling its infrastructure, according to the statement. They expressed appreciation to the current bilateral collaboration in security, and agreed on boosting this cooperation in anti-terror operations, information exchange, intelligence, the best technology and building capacity, as well as combating money laundering, drug smuggling and crossing-border crimes.

They further discussed means of boosting cooperation in cybersecurity, and preventing e-space from being used for terrorism and extremism.
The Indian side lauded the final session of the High-Level International Conference on "Strengthening International Counter-Terrorism Cooperation and Building Agile Border Security Mechanisms - The Kuwait Phase of the Dushanbe Process" hosted by Kuwait on November 4-5.

Both sides affirmed that cooperation in the health field constitutes a key pillar of bilateral ties, voicing commitment to enhancing this sector.
They expressed appreciation to mutual cooperation during the Covid-19, and discussed the possibility of setting up an Indian factory to manufacture medicine in Kuwait.

Moreover, they showed their interest in deepening and boosting cooperation in technology, including artificial intelligence, e-methods and emerging technologies.

The two sides dealt with enhancing collaboration among companies, and e-governance, and sharing the best practices to facilitate firms action and industry in both countries.

The Kuwaiti side expressed its attention to cooperate with India to ensure food security, and discussed varied means of collaboration, including Kuwaiti companies' investments in India.

The Indian side welcomed Kuwait's decision to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA), which represents an important step towards cooperation towards adopting low-carbon paths and promoting sustainable energy.

India expressed its aspiration to work closely with Kuwait to increase solar energy deployment globally within the ISA's framework. The two sides referred to the recent civil aviation authorities' meetings of both countries, with Kuwait expressing its keenness to consider increasing passenger capacity of flights, India expressed its readiness to reach a mutually satisfactory solution.

Both Kuwait and India approved of the renewal of the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for 2025-2029, which will facilitate the promotion of cultural exchange in art, music, and literature festivals, and affirmed commitment to strengthening cooperation and ties between people of both countries.
Kuwait and India signed the Executive Program for Sports Cooperation for 2025-2028, which will enhance mutual exchanges and visits of athletes, organization of workshops, seminars, conferences, and sport publication exchanges.

The two sides stressed the importance of education as an important area of cooperation, including strengthening ties and exchanges between higher education institutions, and expressing interest in cooperating in the field of educational technology to modernize educational infrastructure.

As part of the MoU between the Kuwaiti Sheikh Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Diplomatic Institute and the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), the two sides welcomed the proposal to organize a special course for Kuwaiti diplomats and officers at the SSIFS institute in New Delhi.

Kuwait and India acknowledged the centuries old people ties that are crucial for the historical relations, with Kuwait expressing its appreciation and high respect of the Indian community and citizens in Kuwait that promote development efforts, and for their peaceful and hardworking nature. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his appreciation to Kuwait's leadership for its interest in the care and welfare of the Indian community in Kuwait.

The two sides stressed the importance of historic cooperation in the field of work force mobility and human resources, and agreed to hold regular meetings to address issues related to expatriates, labor mobility, and matters of common interest.

Both sides commended the coordination between them at the UN and other multilateral organizations, with India welcoming Kuwait as a dialogue partner at the Shan

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