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Gulf States and the Conflict between India and Pakistan
during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s three-day visit to
the Gulf countries. 1
Singh’s visit also led to a defence agreement with Qatar
which includes the possibilities of stationing Indian troops in
the Arab country, sources in the Indian Defence Ministry
said. The two countries have also joined in a maritime
security arrangement, which will be extended to other
countries. Earlier in June 2007, the two countries had
agreed to jointly produce weapons and equipment. Indian
Defence Ministry sources said Qatar is keen to collaborate
with Indian private and state-owned defence companies,
which in turn have entered into some sort of a tie-up with
American companies for weapon and equipment production. 2
India is also keen to establish defence ties with other Gulf
States and is in dialogue with some of them towards this
end.
Indian Expatriate Community in the Gulf
Perhaps the most significant element of India’s relationship
with the Gulf States is the presence of a sizeable expatriate
population in these states. The expats in the Gulf contribute
considerably to the bilateral relations between India and the
Gulf.
Country
Saudi Arabia
Indian Population
1.4 million
Oman 550,000
Kuwait 579,058
UAE
1.4 million
1 Sandeep Dikshit, “India, Oman to step up defense ties” The Hindu,
November 10, 2008,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/10/stories/2008111060821400.htm
2 Vivek Raghuvanshi, “India, Qatar discuss defense cooperation”, Defence
News, November 10, 2008,
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3812947
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