Leadership directives propel Egypt-Kuwait relations forward

• H.E. Osama Shaltout, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Kuwait, reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to boost their strong brotherly ties and advancing relations in the coming phase.

• The Egyptian ambassador emphasized that strengthening cooperation between Egypt and Kuwait sends a strong message against regional destabilization amid ongoing political and strategic challenges.

• Trade between Egypt and Kuwait surpassed $3 billion in 2023, while Kuwaiti investments in Egypt reached about $20 billion, mainly in finance, construction, industry, and services.

• Civil aviation authorities of Egypt and Kuwait signed a memorandum to enhance operational capacity and modernize airline arrangements, improving services for Egyptian and Kuwaiti citizens and meeting market demands for direct flights.

His Excellency Osama Shaltout, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Kuwait, emphasized that the upcoming Egyptian-Kuwaiti Joint Higher Committee meeting in Cairo on the 12th, chaired by the foreign ministers of both nations, is a key outcome of the state visit by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, to Egypt last April.

He explained that the visit was instrumental in reconvening the Joint Committee for the first time since 2018, reaffirming both countries’ commitment to strengthening their strong brotherly ties and advancing relations in the coming phase.

Ambassador Shaltout stressed that both sides are dedicated to following the directives of their leaderships to enhance and develop relations for the benefit of Egypt and Kuwait. He also highlighted the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya’s meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Kamal Madbouly, reflecting the deep bonds between the two countries.

Regarding the Joint Supreme Committee, Ambassador Shaltout noted that the committee conducted a comprehensive review of bilateral relations across all sectors and developed a future vision for implementation and follow-up. He highlighted the importance of this step given the magnitude of the political and strategic challenges facing the region, emphasizing that strengthening cooperation and solidarity between brotherly countries like Egypt and Kuwait sends a clear message to any party seeking to destabilize the region’s security and stability.

He added that Kuwait’s official statement expressing solidarity with Egypt and rejecting the Israeli statements concerning the Philadelphia axis, which was reaffirmed during the Joint High Committee, serves as a model for relations between brotherly nations.

The Egyptian ambassador also mentioned the holding of several sub-committees between the two countries prior to the convening of the Joint Higher Committee. On August 27, the fifth session of the Joint Consular Committee was held, resulting in agreements on various consular issues that meet the aspirations of both Egyptian and Kuwaiti citizens. Additionally, a point of contact was established between the Ministries of Health in both countries to activate the memorandum of understanding in the health and pharmaceutical fields.

The second session of the Joint Labour Committee was held on August 28, which also included a visit by the Kuwaiti delegation to the headquarters of the Ministry of Labour, where they were received by Egypt’s Minister of Labour, Mr. Mohamed Gibran.

The Kuwaiti delegation was briefed on the database of qualified and trained Egyptian labor at the required level. The Kuwaiti side expressed interest in learning about successful employment cooperation between Egypt and other countries, such as Germany, and technical meetings between the two parties are being coordinated in this regard.

Ambassador Shaltout also highlighted the Fourth Joint Education Committee meeting on the 9th, noting that it addressed various educational topics, including a review of the “Study in Egypt” initiative, which garnered interest from the Kuwaiti side. The discussions also explored opportunities for cooperation in establishing educational programs offering dual university degrees between Egyptian and Kuwaiti universities, as well as student and faculty exchange programs.

Regarding economic cooperation, Ambassador Shaltoutstated that trade between the two countries exceeded $3 billion in 2023. He highlighted that Egypt’s key exports to Kuwait include insulated cables, televisions, frozen vegetables, chocolate, cheese, fresh fish, and fresh fruits such as oranges, strawberries, mangoes, grapes, as well as fresh and frozen potatoes, ready-made clothes, marble, granite, and medicines.

The ambassador also noted that Kuwaiti investments in Egypt amount to around $20 billion, with the primary sectors being finance, followed by construction, industry, and services. He expressed Cairo’s warm welcome to all Kuwaiti investors and emphasized that the embassy is always available to assist Kuwaiti investors already in Egypt or those interested in investing. He also mentioned that efforts are underway to organize the Joint Trade Committee between the two countries at the earliest opportunity.

Ambassador Shaltout added that the committee witnessed the signing of ten memorandums of understanding and executive programs in various fields, including competition protection, industrial export development, environmental protection, tourism, youth affairs, housing and reconstruction, media, sports, scientific and technical cooperation in planning, and between the diplomatic institutes of both countries. Additionally, the minutes of the 13th session of the Egyptian-Kuwaiti Joint Committee were signed. He explained that both sides are actively working to implement and activate all these agreements as soon as possible.

Ambassador Osama Shaltout noted that civil aviation authorities from both countries held consultations on the sidelines of the Joint Committee, resulting in the signing of a memorandum of understanding. This agreement includes updates aimed at increasing operational capacity between the two nations and modernizing other technical arrangements related to the operation of airlines in both countries. The goal is to enhance services provided to Egyptian and Kuwaiti citizens, as well as other users of direct flights between Cairo and Kuwait while meeting market demands in this field.

The ambassador concluded by expressing his hope for the fourteenth session of the Egyptian-Kuwaiti Joint Higher Committee to be held in Kuwait, with the date to be agreed upon at a later time.