Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday held separate discussions with his Kuwaiti and UAE counterparts as well as GCC Secretary General on preventing disruption in energy supplies and restoring trade flows as soon as possible amid the ongoing crisis in West Asia. India’s trade with West Asia has been severely disrupted due to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, affecting the movement of ships in international waters, especially in the Gulf region. In his virtual conversation with Kuwaiti counterpart Osama Khalid Budai, Goyal said India is ready to extend assistance to resolve any supply chain issues, especially those related to Kuwait’s food security. “Both ministers agreed that dialogue and diplomacy should be given priority and the disruption in energy supplies and trade flows should be restored as soon as possible,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement. Goyal also held a virtual call with UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and discussed ways to restore supply chain continuity. “Both sides noted the pressure on regional supply chains and stressed coordinated efforts to ensure smooth trade flows,” it said. Goyal appreciated the UAE’s proactive logistics measures, including the opening of alternative routes and multimodal transportation, while highlighting India’s new steps to support exporters and ensure continuity of essential supplies in the country. Additionally, Goyal held a bilateral meeting with GCC Secretary General Jassem Mohammed Al Budawi. During the meeting with Budawi, Goyal expressed hope that the ceasefire declared in the region will be permanent and pave the way for lasting peace and stability. The Minister recalled the strong people-to-people ties between India and the GCC countries, which is the core of economic and commercial relations with the region. “Both sides stressed the need for coordinated efforts to ensure smooth trade flows,” the ministry said. Accompanied by Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro, Goyal stressed the need to ensure predictable trade flows through maritime and other means in the region. These discussions are important as the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait – are major trading partners of India. The joint attack launched by the US and Israel on Iran had caused serious disruption to the movement of ships in international waters, especially to West Asian countries. The conflict has created challenges for exporters to ship goods to the Gulf region, with which India had a bilateral trade of $178 billion ($56.87 billion exports and $121.67 billion imports) in 2024-25. Major sectors under pressure include petroleum products, chemicals and plastics, engineering goods, rice, pharmaceuticals and gems and jewellery.
