Turkey, Kuwait sign six deals during emir’s visit to Ankara

ANKARA

Turkey and Kuwait inked a total of six agreements on March 21 during the Kuwaiti Emir’s official visit to Ankara, with one of the deals concerning cooperation on religious affairs between the two states.

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah paid an official visit to Ankara on March 21 and March 22, during which he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. 

While three of the agreements signed during the emir’s visit were about Kuwait’s financial aids to three municipalities located in Turkey’s southeast - Kilis, Şanlıurfa, Gaziantep – the other three deals cover cooperation on military, Islamic and tourism issues. 

Turkey hosts more than three million migrants, most of them from Syria, which makes the provinces bordering Syria the most populated and open to aid. 

Turkey and Kuwait, with a memorandum of understanding on religious affairs, have decided to cooperate on the issues of communicating Islam in various forms. For this goal, the two countries will publish material, prepare programs, seminars and conferences, while also engage in exchanging information and experience. 

“Both of the sides will mutually engage in sharing information and experience on the fight against violence prone movements, terror and infidel acts that threaten the Islamic societies’ security and stability,” said a part of the deal between the two countries, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. 

The two states will also cooperate on guiding and warning young people who have been affected by violence prone acts. 

Following the signing of the deals, the Kuwaiti Emir was honored by Turkey’s Order of the State by Erdoğan on March 22, while he presented Erdoğan with the Order of Mubarak the Great - Kuwait’s highest order for foreign heads of states. 

“My dear brother, since you inherited the throne in Kuwait you have contributed a lot to develop and grow the friendship between Turkey and Kuwait,” Erdoğan said in a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. 

“Your skillful approach in our region, which faces a lot of critical problems, constitutes an assurance of regional peace and stability,” he said. 

Before the ceremony, Erdoğan said the honor was the highest he could award in recognition of the recipient’s efforts at forging ties between Turkey and another nation. 

Al-Sabah thanked Erdoğan for the award and said it reflected the deep and strong relationship between Turkey and Kuwait.