Türkiye’s goals in welcoming the Emir of Kuwait

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, Emir of Kuwait Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the beginning of official diplomatic relations between this Arab country and Turkey, he traveled to Ankara.

After 7 years, this was the first visit of a Kuwaiti emir to Turkey, and the Turks have been visiting Turkey for 6 months. Before, in order to carry out this trip, in addition to the usual diplomatic preparations, they were ready to prepare the necessary grounds for several areas of economic cooperation. Because Kuwait is an oil-rich country and Turkey, as a country struggling with economic crisis and lack of foreign exchange resources, in the last three years, it has turned all its regional diplomatic focus to the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. /p>

Erdogan’s presentation of the state emblem of the Republic of Turkey to the Emir of Kuwait was another part of Ankara’s efforts to encourage the Emir of this rich Persian Gulf country to increase investment in Turkey.

According to the Turkish presidential statement, during the visit of the Emir of Kuwait to Turkey, the leaders of the two countries met and discussed in detail the economic and trade relations between the two countries.

A special welcome from the wealthy Emir

Erdogan’s special welcome from Meshaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is part of Ankara’s targeted program to attract Kuwaiti investors. . Usually, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as the President of Turkey, sends one of his ministers or his deputy to welcome the leaders at the airport, and he himself attends the official welcome ceremony at Beş Tepe Palace in Ankara. But this time, Erdoğan got used to hosting the Emir of Kuwait, and in addition to personally going to the airport and to the steps of the plane, he also held a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace with the presence of soldiers wearing Ottoman and Seljuk military uniforms.

Erdogan held the hand of the Emir of Kuwait during the movement and accompanied him, and the 84-year-old Emir of Kuwait actually walked with the help of the Turkish president.

Is it a partnership or a complaint?

The Emir of Kuwait visited Turkey while the so-called “Development Route” project, aimed at connecting Iraq’s Faw port to the Mediterranean through Turkey’s Mersin port, could adversely affect Kuwait’s interests in various ways. Especially considering that Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, as two investment partners in this project, during Erdogan’s visit to Iraq, sent their representatives to Baghdad to be present with Mohammad Shia al-Sudani and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

During the past three months, Mehmet Şimşek, the Minister of Finance and Finance of Turkey, along with Vice President Judet Yilmaz, Ibrahim Kalen, the head of the Met Intelligence Service, and Hakan Fidan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Erdogan’s cabinet, have tried many times. To consult and talk with Kuwaiti diplomats and get their consent to participate in the joint project of Turkey-Iraq-Qatar and UAE. But it is still not clear whether Kuwait plans to enter this project or not. > 5 billion dollars and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the President of Turkey and the Emir of Kuwait on ways to increase the volume of trade Turkey and Kuwait agreed on 5 billion dollars. During this trip, 6 memorandums of understanding were signed between the two countries, which include the following: Cooperation in promotional activities with the memorandum signed between the Presidential Investment Office and the Kuwait Investment Organization

Memorandum of cooperation in the field of free zones between the General Department of Free Zones of the Ministry of Commerce and the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Organization.

Cooperation between The Ministry of Environment, Urban Development and Climate Change and the Ministry of Housing Affairs of Kuwait in the field of housing welfare and infrastructure.

Executive protocol regarding defense industry supply contracts between the Ministry of National Defense and the Directorate of Defense Industries of Turkey and The Ministry of Defense of the Government of Kuwait.

Cooperation in the field of management of dealing with unforeseen and emergency incidents with a memorandum of understanding between the Department of Emergency Management of the Ministry of Interior and the General Department of Civil Defense of the Ministry of Interior of Kuwait.

Memorandum of understanding to establish a joint strategic dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey and Kuwait.

A review of the above shows that the two paragraphs Of the memorandums of understanding between Turkey and Kuwait, it is more important: the first, the increase of Kuwaiti investments in Turkey, especially in construction and infrastructure projects. Second, the financing of Turkish defense industry projects by the Kuwaiti government.

But it is not clear what exactly Kuwait will receive for participating in the financing of Turkish defense industry projects? Will this Arab country also be the buyer of Turkey’s “B-2” combat drones or will other Turkish electronic warfare equipment and armored personnel carriers be sold to Kuwait?

What are Kuwaitis doing in Turkey?

To get clear information about the level of economic cooperation between Turkey and Kuwait, as well as the entry Kuwaiti businessmen and rich people to the Turkish market, we can review the following information together:

a) Currently, more than four hundred Kuwaiti companies are active in the Turkish market. Most of the Kuwaiti companies present in Turkey belong to these sectors: participation in hotel management, chain stores and restaurants, specialized medical clinics, dry goods, participation in construction projects and financial and stock exchange groups.

b ) Kuwaiti rich people are in the 10th place in terms of purchasing property in Turkey. (First to fourth ranks belong to Russia, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia). have earned dollars.

d) Kuwait is in the first row of countries whose tourists choose Turkey as their first foreign travel destination for a long vacation.

e) The amount of direct investment by Kuwaiti companies in Turkey has reached 2 billion dollars in just 3 years.

In the end, it should be said, according to The small population and high wealth of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region, Turkey has put the long-term strategy of developing cooperation with Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia on the agenda and wants to take over the consumption market of these countries, compensate its foreign exchange resources with their oil dollars and entrust the financing of a significant part of its projects to the banks of these countries.

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