Kuwait

President Abdullah Gül, accompanied by First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül, paid a state visit to Kuwait at the invitation of Amir Sheikh Al Sabah. Several important cooperation agreements were signed during this visit and President Gül, as part of his program in Kuwait, addressed the Turkey-Kuwait Business Forum during which he emphasized that “Turkey is a country with minimum risks and very high advantages for investors indeed.You can be sure that the stability and security Turkey has achieved in the last decade will continue in the future as well.”President Gül also presented Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah a letter dated September 21, 1900 and which is about the opening of Hamidiye Mosque in Kuwait.

PRESIDENT GÜL’S FIRST DAY PROGRAM

President Abdullah Gül paid a state visit to Kuwait at the invitation of Amir Sheikh Al Sabah. The Presidential Couple were welcomed by Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah with an official ceremony at Kuwait International Airport. President Gül and the First Lady, welcomed by children with flowers, proceeded to the Bayan Palace.

President Gül afterwards separately received the following names at the Bayan Palace:

The Board Chairman of the Kuwait Finance House, Hamed Abulmohsen Al-Marzouq; the Board Chairperson of the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) and the NBK Group Vice Chairperson, Sheikha Al-Bahar; the Board Chairman of the Kuwait Investment Authority, Bader Al-Saad; and the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

COOPERATION AGREEMENTS SIGNED

After the talk between the two leaders, the following agreements were signed between the relative departments of Turkey and Kuwait:

Cooperation Agreement on Military Training; Cooperation Protocol in the Press and Information; Commercial Maritime Transportation Agreement; and Cooperation Protocol in Archives.

THE FIRST LADY’S PROGRAM

First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül, who accompanied President Gül on his official visit to Kuwait, participated in the tea party that the Kuwaiti Amir’s sister, Sheikha Fariha Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, hosted.

Mrs. Gül, afterwards, visited both the Tareq Rajap Museum of Islamic Arts, where handwritten Qurans and works of calligraphy are on display, and the Arab Fund Building, which displays handmade ceramics and wooden works as well as carpets.

OFFICIAL DINNER

President Abdullah Gül attended the official dinner that Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah hosted in his honor.

HISTORICAL DOCUMENT FROM PRESIDENT GÜL TO SHEIKH AL-SABAH

President Abdullah Gül presented a historical letter to Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah of Kuwait.

A Cooperation Protocol in Archives was signed by the Director General of the State Archives, Uğur Ünal, and his Kuwaiti counterpart.

The President later gave a letter written on September 21, 1900 by the then Judge of Kuwait, Mubarak Al-Sabah Pasha, to the then Governor of Basra, Muhsin Pasha. The letter was about the fact that the construction of Hamidiye Mosque in Kuwait was completed and that the mosque would be named after the then Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II.

OPERETTA KUWAIT

President Abdullah Gül and First Lady Hayrünnisa Gül watched Operetta Kuwait.Welcomed by Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah of Kuwait upon their arrival at the Conference Center of the Bayan Palace, President Gül and the First Lady enjoyed a folk dance and musical performance by Kuwaiti students to mark the foundation and independence of Kuwait. At the end of the operetta, which is performed every year, the Presidential Couple were seen off by Amir Sheikh Al-Sabah.

TURKEY-KUWAIT BUSINESS FORUM

President Abdullah Gül delivered an address at the Turkey-Kuwait Business Forum as part of his official program in Kuwait.

TURKEY: AN IDEAL COUNTRY FOR INVESTORS

Evincing his pleasure at addressing his audience at the forum, President Gül declared Turkish-Kuwaiti bilateral political relations to be excellent and noted that Turkey offers great opportunities to Kuwaiti investors in many areas including the finance sector, as he said Turkey is a country with minimum risks and very high advantages for investors indeed. “There could be other countries that can bring more profits for investors, but these countries might have more risks, so Turkey is an ideal country for you to invest in. You can be sure that the stability and security Turkey has achieved in the last decade will continue in the future as well.”

Investors of Kuwait, which shares the same culture and historical values as those of Turkey, will feel at home in Turkey, noted the President, pointing out that Kuwaiti citizens can purchase estates in Turkey through the necessary amendments made to the constitution.

TURKISH CONTRACTORS IN KUWAIT

Turkish contractors have won the bid to expand the airport in Kuwait, recalled President Gül, saying that such projects constitute an important part of the economic relations between the countries. The volume of trade between Turkey and Kuwait, added the President, should be augmented.

“ALL DOORS IN TURKEY ARE OPEN FOR YOU”

President Gül continued as follows: “Turkey used to impose anti-dumping tax on some petroleum chemicals. After the Ministry of Economy examined the complaint made by Kuwait in this regard, it found this practice inappropriate, so this tax has been lifted.”

Calling on business leaders from both countries to fortify their partnership, President Gül suggested that they seize the great potential these countries enjoy. All doors in Turkey are open for you, declared the President.

TURKEY’S STRATEGIC STANCE TOWARD THE GULF REGION

Referring to Turkey’s approach toward the Gulf region as strategic, President Gül further emphasized the importance of stability and security, as he said the stability and security of this region mean stability and security in a broader geography, including the Islamic world. When these two crucial elements can be established, economic partnerships and cooperations will follow. “Our relations will be even better in the understanding of win-win policy.”

AIR TRANSPORT BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES

President Gül later participated in a ceremony to launch the flights of a commercial airline company, Pegasus Airlines, to Kuwait. The President lauded Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines for their direct flights to Kuwait, adding that there are daily flights between Turkey and Kuwait today.

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF SMALL BOATS HARBOUR

President Abdullah Gül, as part of his official program in Kuwait, attended the luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah in his honor at the Amiri Tent. The President later proceeded to the Hilton Mangaf Hotel, where the groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of small boats harbour (STFA) was held.

Upon his arrival, President Gül was welcomed by the Kuwaiti Minister of Petroleum and State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Saleh Al-Omar. IN the meantime, a child in a national dress presented a bouquet of flowers to the President.

Afterwards, the President visited Grand Mosque and met with Former Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah.

BREAKFAST WITH BUSINESS LEADERS

President Abdullah Gül, after having breakfast with business leaders from Turkey and Kuwait, completed his official program in Kuwait.