Kuwait, Egypt.. historic relations crowned by the visit of Kuwait Amir

KUWAIT, April 29 (KUNA) -- The official visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Egypt, due on Tuesday, is a culmination of the historic ties and joint coordination between the two countries.
The visit of His Highness the Amir to Egypt is the first since His Highness assumed the office of the state last December. He paid other visits as the Crown Prince representing His Highness the late Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on October 21, 2023 at Cairo Peace Summit, on November 7, 2022 at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and at the second edition of the Green Middle East Initiative Summit.
On December 17, 2023, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi visited Kuwait, where he offered his condolences on the death of the late Amir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
He met with His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during his visit and wished His Highness success in leading the State of Kuwait to a more prosperous and promising future. This visit was preceded by an official visit by the Egyptian President to Kuwait on February 22, 2022 where he met the late Amir and discussed several regional and international issues of common interest and ways to boost cooperation between the two countries.
The historic ties between Kuwait and Egypt go back to the middle of the nineteenth century, but they were limited to trade relations, On diplomatic relations, Egypt was one of the first countries to recognize Kuwait's sovereignty and independence, when the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser received credentials of the late Ambassador Abdel Aziz Hussein on December 20, 1961 as the first Ambassador Plenipotentiary of Kuwait to Egypt.
On March 19, 1962, Ambassador Mohammad Abdel Aziz presented his credentials to the late Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah as the first Egyptian ambassador to Kuwait.
On political relations, bilateral relations have witnessed continuous development through the Supreme Joint Committee between the two countries to promote bilateral cooperation in various fields.
Kuwait has always affirmed its full support for Egypt in various situations, including its full support for Egyptian-Syrian unity in 1958, standing by Egypt in the face of the June 1967 aggression, and in the October War of 1973.
Egypt was also one of the countries in the international coalition that contributed to the liberation of Kuwait in 1991 and played an effective role in restoring Kuwaiti sovereignty over its entire territory.
On educational relations, after the establishment of the Knowledge Council in Kuwait in 1936, Kuwaiti missions abroad continued to raise the level of academic achievement for scholarship students. In 1938 a delegation of five students were sent to Egypt, followed by four students in 1939, and 17 students in 1943, while Al-Azhar adopted supervision of the religious institute in Kuwait. In 1945, Kuwait opened the Kuwait House in Cairo for students' affairs before it was officially opened on October 1, 1958 in the presence of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, head of the Kuwaiti council of knowledge at the time. Kuwaiti students would continue their studies at Cairo University and similar higher institutes to pursue University and postgraduate studies.
On economic relations, Kuwaiti investments contributed effectively to the development of Egyptian economy, being the third largest Arab trading partner after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with investments amounting to about USD 20 billion and the fourth global trading partner among investing countries.
On media relations, the two countries signed a joint media cooperation agreement in September 1998 in Cairo that aims to support cooperation in various media fields.
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) and the Middle East News Agency (MENA) signed an annex to the agreement in September 2017 to support and consolidate bilateral media relations and open new horizons for cooperation.
On parliamentary relations, cooperation between the Kuwaiti National Assembly and the Egyptian House of Representatives has been growing through joint Friendship Committee, exchange of visits, and continuous coordination in various forums on regional, Arab and international issues.
The cooperation between the two countries is extended to military, security, cultural, sports and scientific fields, strengthening the historical ties between the two countries and achieving goals of common interest. (end) abd.ao