President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israel's attacks on Palestine and Lebanon pose a serious threat to the region, as he held a meeting with the new crown prince of Kuwait at the Türkevi (Turkish House) in New York on Monday.
The closed-door meeting between Erdoğan and Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Sabah came on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.
The president told al-Sabah that it is "critical" for all of humanity, particularly the Muslim world, to step up their efforts to end Israel's violations of international law and human rights, according to Presidential Communications Directorate.
Erdoğan added that "Israel will sooner or later be held accountable for its crimes before the law."
Efforts will multiply to bolster ties between Türkiye and Kuwait, which have developed in many areas, from the economy to the defense industry, the president said.
In June, Kuwait’s ruling emir, Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber, appointed al-Sabah, who previously served as the country’s prime minister and as foreign minister.
Türkiye enjoys multifaceted relations with Kuwait based on shared cultural and historical ties. The two countries also share the same views regarding the Palestinian cause.
Türkiye and Kuwait have multidimensional cooperation mechanisms in commerce, the defense industry, tourism and investment, and they share views of peace and stability on regional matters.
Turkish-Kuwaiti relations gained momentum in the 1980s after signing agreements on cooperation in industry and investment incentives. In 2013, the Turkish-Kuwaiti Cooperation Committee held its first meeting, and the two sides signed another 62 deals. Trade volume between the two countries reached about $700 million (TL 22,592 million) in 2023. Türkiye hosts more than 400 Kuwaiti companies, while Kuwait hosts some 50 Turkish companies. Turkish companies in Kuwait are concentrated in the construction sector and are behind some 50 projects, including constructing a new international airport. The value of Turkish construction projects in Kuwait reached some $9.2 billion, while Kuwaiti direct investment in Türkiye reached the value of $2 billion.
Kuwait seeks more contributions from Turkish companies as part of its 2035 vision to reduce its dependency on oil revenues.
Türkiye is also a popular destination for Kuwaiti citizens in tourism, real estate investments and health tourism. In proportion to its population, Kuwait has the highest number of citizens visiting Türkiye as tourists, and Kuwaiti citizens often make it to the top 10 countries whose citizens purchase properties in Türkiye. In 2023, Türkiye hosted about 400,000 Kuwaiti tourists.