Kuwait Holds First Joint Defense Committee Meeting with India, World’s 4th-Most Powerful Military

India and Kuwait hold the first meeting of the joint defense committee between the two countries.

NEW DELHI, Aug 28: India and Kuwait held their first meeting of the Joint Defense Committee in New Delhi on Friday, agreeing to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation in several key areas, including military training, joint exercises, military medicine, defense industries, and research and development.

The meeting marks an important step toward translating into action the objectives set out in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defense Cooperation between the two countries. The agreement was signed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2014.

The meeting was co-chaired by Indian Defense Secretary Amitabh Prasad and Brigadier General Raed Al-Sakran, who led a five-member Kuwaiti delegation.

The first Joint Defense Committee meeting reflects the growing momentum in India-Kuwait relations, particularly after bilateral ties were elevated to a strategic partnership during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kuwait.

India and Kuwait established diplomatic relations in 1962 and have since maintained longstanding friendly ties supported by historical trade links, cultural connections and extensive people-to-people relations.

The large Indian community in Kuwait has also played an important role in strengthening the multifaceted relationship between the two countries.

India and Kuwait hold the first meeting of the joint defense committee between the two countries.

The Indian delegation included senior representatives from the three branches of the Indian Armed Forces, the Defense Production Directorate, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Armed Forces Medical Services, and the Ministry of External Affairs.

During the discussions, both sides explored ways to expand practical cooperation in the defense sector. Areas identified for greater collaboration included military training and exercises, medical services for the armed forces, defense production, and research and development.

The Kuwaiti delegation also met with representatives of India’s defense industry to discuss potential areas of cooperation and opportunities for strengthening ties between the two countries’ defense sectors.

As part of the visit, Brigadier General Al-Sakran laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, paying tribute to Indian soldiers who lost their lives in service to the nation.

The latest defense discussions add a new dimension to the longstanding bilateral relationship, with both sides seeking to expand cooperation beyond traditional economic and social ties into defense, security, technology, and military collaboration.  (KUNA)