KUWAIT: President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and the accompanying delegation arrived in Kuwait on Sunday on a state visit. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah welcomed him at the airport.

Acting Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Al-Sabah, Deputy Commander of Kuwait National Guard Sheikh Faisal Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Al-Yahya, and other senior officials also received the UAE president.

A squadron of Kuwaiti warplanes escorted the UAE President’s plane over Kuwaiti airspace. The official UAE delegation includes Vice President of the UAE and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al-Dhafrah Region Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Presidential Court for Special Affairs Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohamed Al-Nahyan, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al-Nahyan, and other top officials.

The official reception ceremony was held for Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed at the Amiri Airport on his state visit. Upon arrival, the national anthems of both countries were played, after which the UAE President presented the honor guards and shook hands with top officials in the Kuwaiti government. His Highness the Amir shook hands with members of the official accompanying delegation.

Lining the roads as the procession of the UAE’s President Sheikh Mohamed and His Highness the Amir left the Amiri airport, were a number of children raising the flags of both nations and chanting welcoming phrases. Cannons launched 21 shots welcoming President Sheikh Mohamed Al-Nahyan as the procession arrived at Bayan Palace, while military choppers flew overhead carrying the nations’ flags. Greeting the President were also a number of horseback riders and folk troupes who performed traditional pieces.

Significance of visit

A number of Kuwaiti economists have highlighted the significance of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s visit to Kuwait, expecting the event to be a catalyst for progress in bilateral relations. In separate interviews with KUNA, the experts prognosticated that the UAE leader’s visit would give impetus to a boom in development projects in the two Gulf Arab neighbors, overseen by businessmen and firms from both countries, subsequently boding well for the entire six-member Gulf Cooperation Council bloc.

History is dotted with instances that are a testament to the camaraderie shared between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, which has seen fruitful cooperation in fields running the gamut from politics and the economy to education, diplomacy, and trade, said Kuwait Investment Company chairman Dr. Yousef Al-Ali. He welcomed the UAE leader, saying it was part of efforts to propel bilateral relations to greater levels, placing greater emphasis on ties between private sector officials from both countries, which will prove beneficial to the entire region.

On bilateral trade between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, he said the figure reached a record $13 billion last year, which he said proves the “solidity” of bilateral relations, propped by a plethora of deals that had come to fruition recently. On the UAE leader’s visit, Kuwait Finance House Group (KFH) chairman Hamad Al-Marzouq said he was amongst “family,” hailing the visit as a step towards bolstering what he described as a paradigm example of “brotherly” ties between neighbors.

In a bid to strengthen cooperation with UAE-based firms, he said KFH has sealed a plethora of significant deals there, including efforts to regulate the issuance of bonds and sukuk worth some $1.6 billion for a number of Abu Dhabi-based banks, the official added. Citing some of the aforementioned agreements, he said Bahrain’s Al-Ahli United Bank, a KFH affiliate, had recently completed a funding agreement of up to $800 million with First Abu Dhabi Bank, which was one of various similar deals that had come to fruition.

Discussing future plans, including Kuwait’s 2035 development vision, the KFH chairman said that the bank stands ready to explore any initiative aiming to bolster the rapport between Kuwait and Abu Dhabi’s respective private sectors, citing their economic partnership as “decades-long.” Offering his perspective, Kuwait real estate firm Mabanee’s chief executive Waleed Al-Shuraian said he expected a “family affair” when the UAE president lands in Kuwait, commending the meteoric development the Gulf Arab emirate had seen over the years.

Broadened horizons

The UAE president’s visit represents an integral part in strengthening the solid relations between the two brotherly countries, who have always been keen on developing these relations. The visit is a continuation of wise leadership over the past decades of exchanging periodic visits to strengthen the ties and to consolidate bilateral relations, common destiny, and strategic partnership between them.

The six-decade-long history of diplomatic relations between the two countries has witnessed mutual visits by senior officials in both countries. This relationship has become more solid under the leadership of His Highness the Amir, who visited the UAE on March 5, where he discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop them in all fields with Sheikh Al-Nahyan. A joint statement was issued following that visit in which the political, consular, diplomatic, economic, commercial, financial, investment, private sector, energy, cybersecurity, communications, and technology cooperation between them was praised.

Additionally, the two sides stressed their keenness to enhance defense cooperation and develop strategic partnerships to protect the security and stability of the two countries and the region and to enhance cooperation in the field of combating crimes in all their forms. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya visited the UAE on September 2, where he met with Sheikh Al-Nahyan and discussed the solid brotherly relations and ways to enhance them in various fields that serve both countries. On October 8, His Highness the Amir of Kuwait received the Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al-Maktoum, during his official visit to Kuwait.

Kuwait recalls with appreciation the official position of the UAE during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, when the UAE hosted tens of thousands of Kuwaiti families on its land and the UAE Armed Forces participated in the war to liberate Kuwait. In 1952, the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, visited Sharjah and dispatched a Kuwaiti educational mission to the Emirates, which arrived in 1955 and began establishing, equipping and supporting many schools with books.

A medical mission was sent to the Emirates in 1962, establishing many centers and hospitals. A television transmission station called “Kuwait TV from Dubai” was established in Dubai and began operating in 1969. The path of relations between the two countries is getting stronger under the directives of wise leadership, in a way that contributes to serving common interests and achieving security, safety, development and prosperity in their regions. — KUNA