KUWAIT CITY, Oct 21: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and accompanying delegation departed from Kuwait on Tuesday following an official visit to the country that included official talks with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Bidding President Erdogan farewell at the airport was His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. Also at the airport were His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah, as well as Amiri Diwan Affairs Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Sabah. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shereedah Al-Mosherji, Honorary accompanying Mission Head Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Sabah, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya and top state officials, were also bidding the President farewell at the airport.

In the presence of Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al- Sabah, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, a number of agreements were signed Tuesday at Bayan Palace between Kuwait and Türkiye. The agreements are as follows:

1. A Maritime Transport Agreement between the Government of Kuwait and the Government of Turkiye, along with a MoU between Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior and Turkiye’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure regarding the mutual recognition of seafarers’ certificates, will be signed on behalf of the Government of Kuwait by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, and on behalf of the Government of Turkiye by Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan.

2. MoU between Kuwait and Turkiye on cooperation in the field of energy will be signed on behalf of the Government of Kuwait by Minister of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy, Acting Minister of Finance, and Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment Dr. Subaih Al-Mukhaizeem, and on behalf of the Government of Turkiye by Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar.

3. MoU between Kuwait, represented by the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), and Turkiye, represented by the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of Turkiye, regarding cooperation in the field of direct investment promotion, will be signed on behalf of the Government of Kuwait by Director General of KDIPA Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and on behalf of the Government of Turkiye by Head of the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of Turkiye Ahmet Burak Daglioglu. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held official talks at Bayan Palace on Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and senior officials from both sides. Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al- Ali Al-Sabah stated that during the talks, the two sides reviewed bilateral relations between Kuwait and Turkiye, discussed means of strengthening cooperation in various fields, and exchanged views on key regional and international developments of mutual concern.

The meeting reflected the spirit of friendship and understanding between the two countries, affirming their mutual desire to enhance cooperation across all domains in a manner that serves their common interests and promotes regional stability. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held a banquet on Tuesday at Bayan Palace in honor of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his accompanying delegation on occasion of official visit to the country.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Tuesday a gift from visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at Bayan Palace. The gift, an emblem of President Erdogan’s appreciation and pride in the bilateral ties between the two nations, is a Turkish made electric car by the name of Togg. His Highness the Amir voiced his sincere appreciation for this generous gesture, wishing the President and the Turkish people further progress and prosperity.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the accompanying delegation arrived in Kuwait on Tuesday on an official visit. Heading the reception at Kuwait International Airport were His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Also present were His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Chief of the Kuwait National Guard (KNG) Sheikh Mubarak Al-Humoud Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah, Minister of the Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Shereeda Al-Mousherji, Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya and senior state officials. The Head of the honorary delegation accompanying President Erdogan will be Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

President Erdogan’s delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Economy and Finance Mehmet Simsek, Minister of Defense Yasar Guler, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Kacir, Minister of Trade Omer Bolat and other senior officials. The visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kuwait will renew both countries’ shared vision for cooperation and boost over 60 years of ties, Kuwaiti Ambassador to Turkiye Abdulaziz Al-Adwani said on Tuesday. Speaking to KUNA, Ambassador Al-Adwani said that the visit to Kuwait and his meeting with His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah -- who also visited Turkiye last May -- reflects the depth of relations. Exchanging visits and signing accords and agreements further strengthen six decades of cooperation, added the Ambassador who affirmed that relations were tested during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, with Turkiye siding with Kuwait, leading to liberation in 1991 through an international coalition army.

He asserted that economic cooperation had been developing since 2000, noting that the two countries share similar views within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the GCC-Turkiye framework, and at the bilateral level.

In this regard, he commended the mutual support during the COVID-19 pandemic and also the Kuwaiti support for Turkiye during the devastating 2023 earthquake, which hit both Turkiye and Syria, with Kuwait allocating around USD 30 million to assist victims of the natural disaster. The total number of government and popular campaigns for the earthquake victims reached USD 97.7 million, he added.

The Ambassador also mentioned that the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) had been cooperating with Turkiye since 1979, granting the first loan that year for a power project. The KFAED also signed an agreement worth USD 20 million with Turkiye in 2016 to help assist Syrian refugees in the country, providing health and educational services, he revealed. Ambassador Al-Adwani noted that this was part of the USD 500 million Kuwaiti pledge during the 2015 third donors’ conference for Syria. (KUNA)