Kuwait wants to strengthen ties with Turkey, says ruler

Kuwait wants to strengthen ties with Turkey, says ruler
A letter from Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah conveyed Kuwait's commitment to close relations between the two friendly countries and expanding their ties.
2 min read
Kuwait's ruler has sent a letter to Turkey's president seeking to bolster ties [Getty]
Kuwait's ruler has sent a letter to Turkey's president reaffirming his country's desire to bolster ties with Ankara, local reports said on Friday.

The letter was delivered by Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah during his meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Turkish capital on Thursday, Anadolu reported on Friday.

The message from Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah conveyed Kuwait's commitment to "close relations between the two friendly countries and means of boosting these ties in various spheres, as well as issues of common concern", the report said.

Before meeting President Erdogan, the Kuwaiti foreign minister and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu co-chaired a meeting of the Turkey-Kuwait Joint Committee for Cooperation in Ankara on Thursday.

"Our goal is to come together more regularly in a way that reflects our relations, to use the mechanisms effectively, and to deepen relations," Cavusoglu said at a news conference after the meeting.

The two sides agreed to boost cooperation in defence and military affairs, culture, education, and health, according to the Turkish official.

Cavusoglu also hailed Kuwait's role as a mediator in regional affairs, especially in the normalisation of relations between Gulf countries.

Al-Sabah said Turkey and Kuwait "have consensus on regional issues and international problems because we are trying to find a political solution to those issues".

In March, Turkey's ambassador to Kuwait Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak told Kuwaiti newspaer Al-Rai that Ankara is open to all types of cooperation with Kuwait, including the exchange of information and the transfer of technology in the defence field.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu met with the Kuwaiti ambassador in Ankara, Ghassan Al-Zawawi, in February. The two discussed ways to boost both countries' bilaterial ties. 

As a GCC member, Kuwait's ties with Turkey underscore its abilites to navigate between regional rivalries and remain neutral, given Ankara's past frosty relaitons with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Despite Turkey's recent rapprochement with rivals Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Arab League in March condemned Ankara for alleged "interference in the internal affairs of Arab states".

Turkey's foreign minstry slammed these claims as "baseless".

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