ShareKUWAIT: The upcoming visit by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Qatar would add to the strength of the decades-long ties and boost the level of cooperation between the leaderships and people of both countries. After the independence of Qatar in 1971, Kuwait recognized the fellow Gulf country, extending diplomatic ties and exchanging Ambassadors.
In 1972, then Amir of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a number of Qatari diplomats to train in Kuwait in addition to several military personnel who also received training under the guidance of the Kuwaiti Defense Ministry. Perhaps the embodiment of the true strength of relations came during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 when Qatar expressed condemnation of the act and called for the withdrawal of invading troops.
Qatar followed words of condemnation with acts of solidarity, hosting some 9,300 Kuwaiti citizens during the invasion period. The Qatari troops took part in the operations to liberate Kuwait from the invading Iraqi troops in 1991, joining in the international coalition’s ground operations between January 29 and February 1, to achieve this noble goal. After the liberation, Qatar continued to provide logistic assistance to Kuwait, helping in the renovation and construction of several sectors in the country.
Relations continued to go on an upward trend and in 2002, the two countries established the joint high Kuwaiti-Qatari committee aimed at finding all means to boost ties and coordinate efforts regionally and internationally. Kuwait played a pivotal role in mending fences among GCC countries that entered an “Ambassadors’ withdrawal” crisis in 2014 and also the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also played a crucial role in resolving the “Gulf crisis” that followed between Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain on one side and Qatar on the other.
In a show of gratitude, Qatar launched on February 25, 2019, Sabah Al-Ahmad Corridor under the orders of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the first vast infrastructure project bearing the name of a Gulf and Arab leader. On the security and defense levels, the two countries have signed several cooperation protocols and agreements to develop their defensive and security capabilities. In line with the agreements, Kuwait had taken part in security duties in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was held in Qatar.
On the economic level, in 1999, Kuwait and Qatar launched a joint financing company to provide services to Qatar consumers according to the Islamic Sharia with a capital of around KD 4 million (around $13 million). Kuwait has around 49 percent of the capital, while Qatar owns 51 percent. In 2018, the regular maritime line between Qatar’s Hamad and Kuwait’s Shuwaikh seaports was established to transfer goods and passengers revitalizing private sectors ties.
On the Petroleum level, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and the QatarEnegry signed an agreement wherein the latter would provide natural gas to Kuwait for a period of 15 years starting from 2022 at 3 million tons to the natural gas complex in Al-Zour port, Kuwait. In 2023, the Qatari government agreed to a project to avoid double taxation and tax evasion related to capital and income. — KUNA
