India’s engagement with the Gulf region has become more robust and multifaceted under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past more than 10 years
India's relationship with the Gulf region has received a lot of attention under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. For India, the Gulf region is its 'extended neighbourhood' having strong political, economic and security interests. India’s engagement with the region has become more robust and multifaceted.

Under Modi, the reciprocity shown by the Gulf leaders to engage with India has also increased significantly to make the bilateral relations more productive and sustainable. There is also an increasing number of high-level visits taking place between India and the Gulf countries.

In this regard, the recent visit of the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is an important milestone in the India-Gulf relationship. India and Qatar agreed to enhance their bilateral relations to a strategic level. India and Kuwait signed a defence cooperation agreement in December 2024 during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the country.

India’s ‘Think West’ policy        
Under Modi, India has adopted a proactive and pragmatic approach towards the Gulf region. India adopted the 'Think West' policy to further focus its engagement with the region.

This policy not only strengthens the traditionally dominant areas of bilateral trade and energy but also seeks to explore new areas of cooperation such as renewable energy, climate change, connectivity, science, and technology, defence and security, and building strategic partnerships with the countries of the region.

Prime Minister Modi's policy towards the Gulf region emphasises forging stronger strategic partnerships with the countries moving beyond the traditional buyer-seller relationship. Strengthening strategic partnerships with the Gulf would also help India in its engagement with the wider West Asian region and the Arab-Islamic world.

Trade and energy
Trade and energy cooperation have long been key pillars of India's relationship with the Gulf region. Bilateral trade has been growing steadily, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia emerging as two of India's top trading partners, recording trade volumes of US$ 84.4 billion and US$ 52.7 billion, respectively.

This reflects the deepening economic ties between India and the region. India is currently negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which, if finalised, will further boost trade and business. India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the UAE in 2022, strengthening economic collaboration. The GCC has emerged as an important trading bloc with India.

India relies heavily on the Gulf region for its energy needs, with the region supplying nearly two-thirds of its total energy requirements. Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE remain key suppliers of crude oil, while Qatar is India's primary source of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Additionally, Gulf countries play a vital role in India's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), ensuring energy security. Moving beyond a traditional buyer-seller dynamic, India has been forging strategic partnerships and investing in the Gulf's energy sector.

Indian companies are engaged in oil exploration, production, and pipeline projects across the region, marking a shift toward deeper energy collaboration.

Defence and security
In recent years, India’s relationship with the Gulf countries has started moving beyond the traditional domains of interaction. A key aspect of India's engagement with the Gulf region under Modi is the deepening cooperation on defence and security issues.

India has signed defence cooperation Agreements with countries like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait. Joint military exercises, training programmes, and strategic dialogues have strengthened military-to-military interactions.

While the Indian Navy has traditionally led defence engagements with its Gulf counterparts, recent years have seen increased participation from the armies, air forces, and coast guards in joint exercises and training initiatives.

Both sides recognise the importance of addressing transnational security challenges such as terrorism, extremism, and maritime piracy. Enhanced intelligence sharing and information exchange have further reinforced joint efforts to combat these threats effectively.

Notably, the deportation of terror suspects from Saudi Arabia and the UAE to India underscores the growing success of security cooperation between the two sides.

New areas of cooperation
A number of new and emerging areas of cooperation between India and the Gulf have been strengthened under Modi. India’s cooperation and engagement with the Gulf region include renewable energy such as green hydrogen wind and solar energy.

Besides, science and technology, agriculture, food security and health care have also emerged as important areas of cooperation between the two. Connectivity is yet another important area of interest for both India and the Gulf. While India gets access to Afghanistan and Central Asia through the Chabahar Port of Iran.

India signed the India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) project in September 2023, during the G20 leadership summit in Delhi. The IMEC will connect India, Gulf and Europe through a maritime, rail and road corridor which will further enhance trade and connectivity between them. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are major Gulf players in the IMEC.

India’s involvement in the I2U2 minilateral grouping along with Israel, the UAE and the US is also an important initiative to engage on new and emerging issues such as energy, food security, and collaboration on technology.

During India’s G20 presidency in 2023, India invited two Gulf countries – Oman and the UAE – as guest countries to participate in the G20 meetings. This highlights the growing strategic alignment and deepening cooperation on key bilateral and global issues.

India’s engagement with Gulf and West Asia stands out as a key success of its foreign policy under Prime Minister Modi. While sustaining momentum in traditional areas such as trade and energy, India has also expanded cooperation into new and emerging sectors.

Conclusion
There is a growing reciprocity from the Gulf rulers towards India and a visible change in the perception of the leaders and the general citizens towards India as a stable democracy and a large economy having an important voice in the world. India has maintained the approach of neutrality and non-interference in domestic and regional politics in the region.

Despite the complexities of regional geopolitics in West Asia, India has effectively navigated its relationships with all major players, including Iran, Israel, and the Gulf Arab states. Such a balanced and pragmatic approach has strengthened India's standing not just in the Gulf, but across the broader Arab-Islamic world as well.

***The author is a Research Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi. Views expressed are his own.