Kuwait on Sunday conferred its highest national award, ‘The Order of Mubarak Al- Kabeer’, on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recognition of his distinguished achievements and his endeavour to strengthen bilateral relations between India and Kuwait.

PM Modi dedicated the award to the long-standing friendship between India and Kuwait, to the Indian community in Kuwait, and to the 1.4 billion people of India.

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This is the 20th international honour given to PM Modi by a country. Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the amir of Kuwait conferred ‘The Order of Mubarak Al-Kabeer’ on PM Modi. Sheikh Ahmed Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the prime minister of Kuwait, also graced the occasion. The conferment of the award on a historic visit of a prime minister of India to Kuwait after 43 years added a special meaning to the occasion.

The award was instituted in 1974 and has since been conferred on select global leaders. ‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ is a knighthood order of Kuwait and is named after the seventh ruler of Kuwait, Mubarak bin Sabah Al-Sabah, who assumed power in 1896 and took Kuwait to new heights during his reign.

The Order is awarded to heads of state and foreign sovereigns and to members of foreign royal families in sign of friendship. It has been previously awarded to foreign leaders like Bill Clinton, Prince Charles, and George Bush besides other dignitaries like Queen Elizabeth and Prince Muhammad bin Salman. PM Modi is on a two-day visit to the Gulf nation of Kuwait at the invitation of Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait. This is the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Kuwait in 43 years. Modi arrived in Kuwait on Saturday afternoon.

Last month, Prime Minister Modi was conferred with Guyana’s highest civilian honour, ‘The Order of Excellence’, by the country’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali, for his visionary statesmanship, championing the rights of developing countries on the global stage, exceptional service to the global community and for his commitment to strengthening India-Guyana relations. During the India-CARICOM Summit in Guyana, Dominica too had conferred its highest national honour, the ‘Dominica Award of Honour,’ on PM Modi in acknowledgement of his pivotal support during the Covid-19 pandemic and his commitment to fostering India-Dominica relations.

Nigeria also conferred the national honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on Prime Minister Modi during his first official visit to the country in November. The Indian PM was the first foreign leader to be conferred with the award since 1969 when Queen Elizabeth received Nigeria’s highest national honour.

‘The Order of Mubarak Al Kabeer’ takes the number of civilian honours received by PM Modi to a record 20, highlighting his leadership and India’s growing stature on the global stage.