H.H. AMIR BEGINS STATE VISIT TO TURKIYE

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ANKARA, May 7: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and his accompanying delegation arrived in Ankara on a state visit on Tuesday. His Highness the Amir was welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance and Chief of the Accompanying Mission of Honor Mehmet Simsek, Governor of Ankara Vasip Sahin, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Turkiye Wael Yousef Al- Enezi and Kuwaiti Consul in Istanbul Mohammad Sultan Al-Sharji. His Highness the Amir is accompanied by an official delegation that comprises Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Dr. Anwar Ali Al-Mudhaf, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, and senior officials from the Amiri Diwan and Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the accompanying delegation left Kuwait on Tuesday heading to Turkiye on an official state visit. His Highness the Amir was seen off at the airport by Deputy Amir and Prime Minister Designate Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and caretaker Prime Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah. Also present at the depature were Deputy Chairman of the Kuwait National Guard (KNG) Sheikh Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and Acting Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, Minister of the Amiri Diwan Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shereeda Abdullah Al- Mousherji, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil Dr. Imad Mohammad Al-Atiqi, and senior state officials. His Highness teh Amir is accompanied by an official delegation, which includes Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Economic and Investment Affairs Dr. Anwar Al-Mudhaf, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, and senior officials from the Amiri Diwan and Foreign Ministry. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Tuesday paid a visit to Ataturk’s mausoleum in Ankara, the Turkish capital. His Highness the Amir laid a garland of fl owers and signed the honor book.

Official reception ceremony
An official reception ceremony was held at the Turkish Presidential Palace in Ankara on Tuesday in honor of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, on the occasion of his state visit to Turkiye. His Highness the Amir was accompanied by a group of equestrians carrying the fl ags of the two countries to the presidential palace and was welcomed by the President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Upon the arrival of the Kuwaiti official delegation to the Palace, trumpets were blown and artillery fired twenty-one rounds to welcome His Highness the Amir. The national anthem of Kuwait and Turkiye were also played. His Highness the Amir greeted some of Turkiye’s top officials and the Turkish president greeted and welcomed the Kuwaiti official delegation.

Six decades of fruitfulties
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to Turkiye on Tuesday, the first since assuming the leadership post, is another milestone added to the six decades of fruitful ties. The visit also comes to celebrate the 60th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties. The strength of ties between Kuwait and Turkiye expanded beyond the political realm, reaching high peaks in various domains such as investments and the economy to name but a few. Kuwait opened its first embassy in Ankara in 1971, a step followed by the opening of the Turkish embassy in Kuwait in the same year. Relations continued to solidify throughout the years since then and they were put to the test during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, an event that was met by strong Turkish condemnation and opposition. In 1991, then Amir the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah visited Ankara post-Iraqi invasion in a display of gratitude towards the Turkish stance with Kuwait during its darkest times. Kuwait returned in favor in July 2016 when the Kuwaiti government stood in solidarity with its Turkish counterpart during the failed coup. Then Amir the late Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent a cable to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressing his support to the Turkish leader and the will of the Turkish people. During the history of relations, major visits occurred between leaders and top figures. In 2008, the late Amir Sheikh Sabah visited Turkiye, resulting in the signing of seven agreements to boost relations in various domains. A second visit to the Amir Sheikh Sabah occurred in April 2013 with eight bilateral agreements signed during the visit. In between 2008 and 2014, several ministers from Kuwait and Turkiye exchanged visits a plethora of agreements on the military, security, and several other prominent fields. In 2009, the late Amir Sheikh Sabah headed Kuwait’s delegation to the 25th OIC Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC), which was held in Istanbul. The late Sheikh Sabah also headed Kuwaits delegation to the 13th OIC Summit in Istanbul in April 2016 and the international summit for humanitarian work, which was held also in Istanbul in May of the same year.

Summit
The late Amir Sheikh Sabah also The late Amir Sheikh Sabah also headed Kuwaits delegation to the urgent summit for the OIC, dubbed the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) summit, which was held in Istanbul in 2017. On the Turkish, former President of Turkiye Abdullah Gul visited Kuwait on three separate occasions in 2009, 2011, and 2014 as part of the continuous efforts on the part of the two countries to bolster ties. Turkish President Erdogan visited Kuwait on two occasions in 2015 and 2017 to boost relations and also play a part in the mediation efforts to resolve the Gulf relations crisis. In 2017, President Erdogan bestowed on visiting late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the Order of State award for his role in bolstering relations and his global humanitarian efforts and response. In return, Sheikh Sahah bestowed on President Erdogan the order of Mubarak the Great for his regional and international efforts. Kuwaits support for Turkiye went beyond the political domain.

In August of 2021, the late Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent Kuwaiti firefighters and equipment to help Turkiye fend off the forest fires, which engulfed parts of the country. In February 2023, the latter country faced a devastating earthquake. The late Amir Sheikh Nawaf ordered the establishment of an air bridge to deliver humanitarian aid to those affected by the ginormous natural disaster. Kuwait donated USD 30 million to help relief aid efforts in Turkiye and Syria. The total of government and popular donations reached USD 97.7 million. In the commercial domain, Kuwait exports to Turkiye in the third quarter of 2023 reached KD 13.5 million, while Turkish exports to Kuwait reached KD 169.2 million. In 2016, the volume of commercial exchange reached USD 1.2 billion. In the same year, the number of projects executed by Turkish contracting companies in Kuwait reached USD 6.5 billion, while the volume of direct Kuwaiti investments in Turkish reached USD 1.7 billion. (KUNA)

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