President Abdullah Gül is visiting the current term chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Kuwait, today to enhance cooperation in every sphere and review the current state of the bilateral relations.
The President was welcomed by Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah on Monday, at the airport through an official ceremony. Later on President Gül and Emir Sheikh Sabah had tete a tete meeting.
After the meeting, the leaders chaired the interdelegational talks.
Turkish President Gül held contacts with Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Abdullah Yusuf al-Roomi and Defense Minister Sheikh Jaber al-Mubarak al-Sabah. He further met Speaker of the National Assembly Jessem al-Khaffari and Health Minister al-Sayir.
Along with Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan, a group of businessmen also accompany the President during his trip to the oil-rich country neighboring war-torn Iraq.
Visiting Kuwait, which took over the rotating presidency of the GCC on December 15, is not only crucial in terms of bilateral relations but is also of vital importance for relations with the five other members of the Gulf's largest intergovernmental body, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain.
Works have been under way to reach a Free Trade Agreement deal between Turkey and the GCC for almost four years. Turkey's trade volume with the GCC countries was around $2 billion in 2002 but has recorded an enormous increase to $17 billion in 2009.
President Gül delivered a speech at the business forum on Tuesday in which a group of leading figures from both countries participated during his two-day visit.
The President said Turkey is an inviting locus of investmen for the Gulf countries in the wake of harsh impacts of global financial crisis in the US and Europe. President Gül called on Turkish and Kuwaiti businessmen to seize on current opportunity.
Turkey signed a Strategic Dialogue agreement with the GCC in Jeddah in 2008, to boost political and economic relations and to open a new page.
The foreign ministers of the GCC met in Istanbul in July this year to clarify relations and ease the process of trade between these countries, Turkish daily Today's Zaman says. The foreign ministers also reportedly discussed the railways and highways that would connect the Gulf countries with the EU.