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Accompanied by first lady Emine Erdoğan and a delegation of ministers, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Kuwait on Tuesday. The country is first on his Gulf trip that will also take Erdoğan to Qatar and Oman.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah hugged Erdoğan as he joined other Kuwaiti dignitaries welcoming the Turkish delegation at the airport in Kuwait City. The emir and Erdoğan then left for Bayan Palace for talks and the signing of a series of cooperation agreements between the two countries.
During the visit, Erdoğan gifted the emir a white Togg, Türkiye’s domestically-produced vehicle. Erdoğan has gifted the vehicle in different colors to heads of state of countries with close ties with Türkiye in the past.
Erdoğan and Sheikh Al Sabah later attended a signing ceremony for one agreement and three memoranda of understanding by ministers of the two countries.
Agreements include one on maritime transportation, mutual recognition of sailor certificates issued by both countries, a memorandum of understanding on energy and on incentives for direct investments.
Erdoğan and the emir did not hold a joint news conference, but the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications quoted Erdoğan’s remarks during discussions with the emir. At the meeting, Erdoğan said preservation of the hard-won cease-fire in Gaza was critical. He also called the Islamic world to adopt a joint stance for achieving a two-state solution to the Palestine-Israel conflict, “to ensure a lasting peace.”
Erdoğan was also quoted as saying that Türkiye may cooperate with “brotherly Arab states for building a bright future for the people of Syria” in the post-Assad era in Türkiye’s southern neighbor.
Türkiye and Kuwait marked the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations last year and enjoy good relations. Last year, the emir visited Türkiye and the two countries signed six agreements on defense, commerce, investment, diplomacy and culture. They also decided on the establishment of a joint strategic dialogue mechanism. This was Emir’s first official visit to a country outside the Arab countries, after he succeeded his late half-brother Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.
Although ties developed further under the leadership of Erdoğan, Türkiye maintained good relations with Kuwait, especially during Iraq’s invasion of the country under Saddam Hussein’s rule. Ankara had sided with Kuwait during the invasion.
Türkiye is a popular location for Kuwaiti investments and more than 400 Kuwaiti companies operate in Türkiye, including one of the most popular among them, Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank, whose majority stakeholders are Kuwait Finance House and the Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait. Some 50 Turkish companies, meanwhile, operate in Kuwait, mainly in the construction sector and they are engaged in critical infrastructure work.
Although bilateral relations will make up the bulk of discussions, the situation in Gaza will also dominate Erdoğan’s talks with regional leaders, as the Presidency’s Communications Director Burhanettin Duran said in a social media post on Monday.
The Gaza task force issue will be discussed, especially with Qatar, with which Türkiye has pursued close cooperation throughout the Gaza war.
Since the escalation of violence in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, Türkiye has emerged as one of the most active countries supporting the Palestinian people through large-scale humanitarian relief, diplomatic mediation and calls for accountability under international law.
Erdoğan, who spoke to journalists as he was returning from Egypt, where he attended a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh on the Gaza cease-fire last week, had said back then that at the summit, they discussed the roles countries can play in the reconstruction of Gaza and asked for support from Gulf countries, the U.S. and Europe for reconstruction. He said his first impressions on that matter were “not bad.” “They promised to take on roles for recovery,” he noted.
Türkiye and Erdoğan’s next stopover, Qatar, were key actors in the establishment of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, and representatives from Türkiye and Qatar have joined Egypt for discussions on the matter before the cease-fire came into force earlier this month.
