Algerian-Kuwaiti Partnership in Several Strategic Sectors

The President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, continues his visits to the Gulf countries, as he flew on Tuesday from the State of Qatar to the State of Kuwait, on an official visit, to consolidate the solid historical relations, enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries, and complete the preparation course for the Arab Summit that will be hosted by Algeria, which the president is preparing to achieve completely different outputs, whether related to Arab reunification or reviving fateful issues and common files.

President Tebboune was received at Kuwait’s Amiri Airport by Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and senior state officials, along with the Algerian ministerial delegation accompanying him in an official reception in the Amiri Honors Hall.

President Tebboune’s visit to Kuwait, which comes immediately after the visits to Qatar, aims to “consolidate bilateral relations and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood between the two brotherly peoples”, according to a statement by the Presidency of the Republic.

“It also comes in light of a recovery in relations between the two countries since the beginning of 2020, a qualitative transformation through an exchange of letters between the leaders of the two countries and the organization of several visits at the ministerial level”.

The visit is the culmination of a great rapprochement between the leadership of the two countries, as President Tebboune sent, on January 31, a message to His Highness, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait, delivered to him by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and National Community Abroad, Ramtane Lamamra, during his visit to Kuwait.

The “consensus of views” and visions were valued by the two brotherly countries regarding many issues and solutions to crises that the region and the world are going through in a way that confirms the depth of the relations that bind them, and the agreement of their serious political will to achieve stability in the region, especially that the Kuwaiti leadership showed full support for the Algerian diplomatic concept to hold the Arab summit in Algeria and the files that will be present, as Kuwait was the first country whose leadership confirmed attendance.

President Taboun’s visit to Kuwait also comes after he had received at the end of last September a written letter from the Emir of the State of Kuwait, delivered to him by the Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohamed Al-Sabah, during his visit to Algeria.

During the meeting, “the strong historical relations between the two brotherly peoples were emphasized, given the consensus in visions between the leaderships of the two countries, to confront regional and international challenges of common interest, and it was also agreed to send mixed committees, in many fields”, the presidency statement added.

“During the visit, the foreign ministers of the two countries confirmed the consensus that characterizes the positions of Algeria and Kuwait on the most important international and regional issues of common interest, especially those related to the Arab world and joint work to achieve the success factors of the upcoming Arab summit in Algeria and to enhance Arab-African cooperation. After the consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers, the Kuwaiti foreign minister affirmed that his country will be the first to participate in the Arab summit, which Algeria will host and the last to leave it.”

In addition to their bilateral cooperation in the political and diplomatic field, Algeria and Kuwait seek to strengthen cooperation in the economic, energy, commercial, tourism, cultural and social fields. It was agreed at the end of last September in Algiers to activate the joint committee headed by the foreign ministers of the two countries and to develop a plan to establish a real strategic partnership. Promises include economic fields, especially joint investments, economic and trade exchange. Recently, they discussed ways of establishing an Algerian-Kuwaiti businessmen council and organizing a visit for Kuwaiti dealers to Algeria during the first six months of the current year.

In the commercial field, the Minister of Commerce, Kamal Rezig, reviewed with the Kuwaiti Ambassador ways to enhance and develop trade relations and their prospects by arranging meetings with economic dealers of both countries, and organizing exhibitions in both Kuwait and Algeria, in addition to the possibility of Algeria benefiting from the Kuwaiti experience in major commercial spaces and ways to raise Algerian exports of various food and agricultural products required by Kuwaiti markets.

In the energy sector, Minister of Energy and Mines Mohamed Arkab discussed with the ambassador of Kuwait bilateral cooperation, investment opportunities, exchange of experiences between the two countries in the field of hydrocarbons and creating mutually beneficial partnerships within the framework of the new hydrocarbons law, which offers many advantages to investors.

In the tourism sector, the necessity of activating and reviving the concluded tourism cooperation agreement and translating it into an actual program of work was emphasized to push forward and promote relations of cooperation and partnership in the field of tourism, handicrafts and family work and promoting them as well.

Algeria and Kuwait bind several treaties in various fields, such as an agreement for cultural and technical cooperation, a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the field of environment and cooperation between the media, communication, youth and sports sectors. Kuwaiti investors are present in Algeria in the field of services, especially financial and banking.

Gulf Bank (AGB), which started its activity in Algeria in 2004, is considered one of the most important Kuwaiti investments in Algeria.

AGB, which is one of the first private banks to open a branch in Algeria, finances several projects and institutions through 61 agencies in various Algerian cities.