Kuwaiti Ambassador: Pres. Erdogan's visit "renews" cooperation vision, boosts ties

By Osama Al-Saied ANKARA, Oct (KUNA) -- The upcoming 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. (end) oas.gta