The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that during the visit to these countries Jaishankar will meet with his counterparts and the leadership. “During the visit to these countries, he will be meeting with his counterparts and the leadership. The visit will focus on enhancing our bilateral relations with the four countries and also provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional developments and issues of mutual interest,” the statement said. The announcement frames the Gulf leg as an opportunity to build on longstanding partnerships across economic and security domains.
According to the ministry, Jaishankar’s itinerary begins with the Gulf tour from July 5 to 10, covering official visits to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman in sequence. The external affairs minister will then travel to New York to launch India’s official campaign for a United Nations Security Council tenure covering 2028-29. He concludes the trip in Brussels on July 14 and 15 for the third India-European Union Trade and Technology Council meeting along with separate interactions with Belgian officials.
Ministry of External Affairs figures show that bilateral trade with Kuwait reached 10.22 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2024-25, including 1.93 billion dollars in Indian exports dominated by engineering goods and foodstuffs. Kuwait supplies 10 to 12 percent of India’s total crude oil imports, an assessment repeated across multiple ministry overviews of energy cooperation. These flows have positioned Kuwait as one of India’s top trade partners in the Arab world for more than a decade.
The ministry’s overview of bilateral ties places the Indian community in Kuwait at roughly 640,000 people, the largest expatriate group in the country and a cornerstone of people-to-people relations. Community members remit more than 3 billion dollars annually to India while filling key roles in healthcare, engineering and services, according to the same ministry documentation. This demographic bridge has supported consistent high-level engagement between the two capitals.
A separate ministry release noted that the Kuwait visit builds on Jaishankar’s previous trip to the country in August 2024, when he held talks on regional stability and economic collaboration. The current schedule reflects India’s broader diplomatic push to deepen Gulf partnerships amid evolving West Asian dynamics. Officials expect the discussions to cover energy security, manpower mobility and multilateral coordination.
