Kuwait wants to strengthen ties with Turkey, says ruler

ISTANBUL

Kuwait’s ruler has sent a letter to Turkey’s president reaffirming his country’s desire to bolster ties with Ankara, Kuwaiti media reported 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, according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

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 defense and military affairs, culture, education, and health, according to the Turkish official.

He also hailed Kuwait’s role as a mediator in regional affairs, especially in the normalization 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.”

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara