New Delhi, August 28: India and Kuwait held the inaugural meeting of their Joint Defence Committee (JDC) in New Delhi on Friday, with both sides agreeing to expand cooperation across a range of defence-related areas.The discussions covered military training, joint exercises, military medical services, official military-level talks, defence industry partnerships, and research and development.
The meeting is expected to provide a framework for implementing the objectives outlined in the India-Kuwait Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation, which was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024.The meeting was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, and Brigadier General Raed Al-Sakran, who headed the Kuwaiti delegation.
India’s delegation included officials and representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Force, along with the Department of Defence Production, Defence Research and Development Organisation, Armed Forces Medical Services and Ministry of External Affairs.Ahead of the meeting, Brigadier General Al-Sakran paid tribute to fallen Indian soldiers at the National War Memorial in New Delhi by laying a wreath.
The Kuwaiti delegation also visited a Defence Public Sector Undertaking facility during the first day of its visit and held discussions with Indian defence industry representatives on possible areas of cooperation. Further interactions with industry representatives were scheduled as part of the delegation’s programme.India and Kuwait have maintained friendly relations for decades, with diplomatic ties established in 1962.
Their relationship has been supported by longstanding trade links, geographical proximity, cultural connections and the presence of a sizeable Indian community in Kuwait.
The bilateral relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kuwait in December 2024. The first JDC meeting is being seen as an important step towards translating that broader partnership into deeper and more structured defence cooperation.
