Lebanon pushes for return of refugees to Syria

Lebanon’s caretaker foreign minister threatened Thursday to increase pressure on the UN refugee agency if it does not change its policies, which he says discourage Syrian refugees from returning to their country. (AFP)
Updated 14 June 2018
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Lebanon pushes for return of refugees to Syria

  • People of Qusayr talk about 'crisis of trust with Syrian regime'
  • The return of the refugees cannot wait for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, said President Michel Aoun

BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun has said that Lebanon will continue to push for the return of Syrian refugees to their country. 

“The return of the refugees cannot wait for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, which may take time and Lebanon’s situation can no longer support the refugees staying indefinitely on its land,” President Michel Aoun told representatives of the International Support Group for Lebanon.

The presidential media office said that President Aoun spoke to ambassadors of the international community about “losses to Lebanon amounting to nearly 10 billion dollars,” stressing that “Lebanon fulfills its obligations to the UN and friendly countries and is keen to maintain these strong relations, especially with the countries that help it.”

The president’s position follows the move by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to pressure the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), accusing it of obstructing the return of Syrian refugees to their country. 

The foreign minister traveled to Geneva on Thursday and met with Commissioner-General for Refugees in Geneva, Filippo Grandi, and the UN envoy to Syria, Steffan de Mistura. 

“No one should bet on a disagreement among the Lebanese because everyone agrees that those displaced should return to Syria,” Bassil said, stressing the readiness of the Foreign Ministry to “alter its actions against the commission if it notices a change in the adopted policy, but I am ready to increase it if there is no change.”

Basil added that “de Mistura knows that the return of displaced people to Syria is possible now and that return would accelerate a political solution to the crisis and reconciliation between the Syrians.”

Bassil traveled on Wednesday to the town of Arsal, on the Syrian border, for the first time since hosting the Syrian refugees following the outbreak of war in Syria in 2011. He toured Syrian refugee camps and met Lebanese residents. 

Bassil told the town’s activists and representatives of the Syrian refugees, “The UNHCR does not allow us to complete the first phase of the return of Syrian refugees to their country and we are not talking about an immediate and forced return, but about phased and secure returns, with the assistance of the UN; we want the return of refugees and to provide assistance to them in Syria.”

Bassil noted, “The people of southern Lebanon set up tents near their destroyed homes after the July 2006 war in preparation for the reconstruction, and the Syrian people can do the same.” 

“Our economic situation can no longer afford the burdens of displacement. We do not want any conflict with the UNHCR, but it is time to tell them enough is enough and nothing is greater than Lebanon’s interest,” he said.

The crisis between the foreign minister and the UNHCR was not marked by government solidarity with Bassil. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri met Lazarini and the UNHCR representative in Lebanon, Mirai Gerard, on Tuesday. “We and the United Nations are partners in our assistance to address the refugee issue,” Hariri said, “and the final solution for refugees, for us as well as for them, is their return to Syria.”

Bassil made a decision a few days ago to freeze the residency permits of foreigners working in the UNHCR office in Beirut in protest against UNHCR representatives’ inquiries to those wishing to return to Syria, which “made refugees hesitate to return,” according to the Lebanese foreign minister. 

“The measures I have taken against the UNHCR are within my authority and I can be tougher, but I will discuss the matter with UN officials in Geneva on Thursday; international organizations must respect our policies,” he said.

The UNHCR preferred not to comment on Bassil’s visit to Arsal. 

UNHCR spokeswoman Lisa Abu Khaled told Arab News: “There are 40,000 registered refugees in Arsal, and perhaps the figure is even higher because there are those who have not registered with UNHCR. Those who want to return to Syria and need help may benefit from our assistance if they are in an area that can be reached by UNHCR representatives. In Lebanon, the refugees are living under difficult conditions and they are benefiting from cash assistance. We told them that they would continue to receive the assistance for two months after their return, and then they may benefit from any existing programs in Syria.”

The head of the Syrian Refugees Committee representing those wishing to return to the Qalamun area, Talib Abdul Aziz, who accompanied Bassil’s tour in Arsal, told Arab News: “There are 3,193 Syrian refugees who have registered since early April to return to their towns in Syria as part of the reconciliation program being carried out by the Syrian authorities. And we are still waiting for the approval of the return; we are told that it is the responsibility of the Lebanese public security now, and we are waiting for logistical arrangements to organize the return convoy, which may take place after Eid Al-Fitr.” 

Aziz said that “193 registered people had not waited for the convoy but had crossed the Lebanese-Syrian border to Syria and said they didn’t need the reconciliation committee.” 

“The remaining refugees want to return with their livestock, cars and belongings, and they want their return to be through the barrens leading to their villages. The Syrian state has agreed to let us take our cars and our necessities with us, and so has the Lebanese General Security,” he said.

Abdul Aziz is from the Syrian town of Flitah and is a member of the chamber of commerce in Damascus. He went to Arsal with his family in 2013. 

“The return to Qalamoun is now possible after the terrorist gunmen fled Arsal barrens and crossing these barrens has become possible,” he said. “The distance to Qalamoun is only 27 kilometers. The Lebanese General Security has offered to provide buses to transport us but we said that we want to use our cars and trucks that we used when we fled when the war reached our homes.”

However, the return convoys will not include the displaced people from the town of Qusayr, who fled from their town when Hezbollah gunmen entered it to expel the armed opposition, which mostly included the Free Syrian Army. 

Khaled Raad, who fled Qusayr with his family to Arsal in 2013 when the town fell into the hands of Hezbollah, said: “There are 40,000 displaced people from Al-Qusayr in Lebanon, and they cannot go back now as part of a reconciliation with the Syrian regime. The neighborhoods of our town are totally destroyed and lifeless. The eastern neighborhood is the only one still undamaged. It is not true that the rest of the neighborhoods are still intact as they claim. Those who are now returning to their town in Western Qalamun have family support there, but we do not have such support and cannot return to destruction. It is still early to talk about the return.”

Raad said that Foreign Minister Bassil had proposed that: “We return to Qusayr and put up tents, but we said we want them away from Qusayr and with guarantees. There is a crisis of trust between us and the Syrian regime, not just misunderstanding.”

Sarah Kayali, a Syrian researcher with the Middle East and North Africa Division of Human Rights Watch, told Arab News: “Lebanon is committed to the provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Refugees, even if it did not sign it, and the most important item is not to return refugees to areas where they may be at risk.” 

“The move for the return of refugees is noted in Jordan and Turkey as in Lebanon,” Kayali said, adding that “pressure on the refugees leaves them with only the option of returning.”


Hamas says ‘ball is completely’ in Israel’s hands in Gaza truce talks

Updated 10 May 2024
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Hamas says ‘ball is completely’ in Israel’s hands in Gaza truce talks

GAZA STRIP: Palestinian militant group Hamas said early Friday that its delegation attending Gaza ceasefire negotiations in Cairo had left the city for Qatar, adding the “ball is now completely” in Israel’s hands.
“The negotiating delegation left Cairo heading to Doha. In practice, the occupation (Israel) rejected the proposal submitted by the mediators and raised objections to it on several central issues,” the group said in a message to other Palestinian factions, adding it stood by the proposal.
“Accordingly, the ball is now completely in the hands of the occupation.”
State-linked Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News reported Thursday that representatives of both camps left Cairo after two days of negotiations aimed at finalizing a ceasefire deal in the seven-month war in the Gaza Strip.
Efforts by Egypt and other mediators, namely Qatar and the United States, “continue to bring the points of view of the two parties closer together,” the outlet added, citing a high-level Egyptian source.
Hamas said Monday that it had accepted a ceasefire proposal put forward by mediators.
The deal, the group said, involved a withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of Palestinians displaced by the war, and the exchange of hostages held by militants for Palestinian prisoners detained in Israel, with the aim of a “permanent ceasefire.”
Netanyahu’s office at the time called the proposal “far from Israel’s essential demands,” but said the government would still send negotiators to Cairo.
Israel has long been resistant to the idea of a permanent ceasefire, insisting it must finish the job of dismantling Hamas.


Netanyahu on US threat to withhold arms: Israel will fight with its ‘fingernails’ if needed

Updated 10 May 2024
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Netanyahu on US threat to withhold arms: Israel will fight with its ‘fingernails’ if needed

  • Israel says Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas
  • Aid groups say a Rafah invasion would be catastrophic

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a US threat to withhold some arms would not prevent Israel from continuing its offensive in Gaza, indicating it might proceed with an invasion of the packed city of Rafah against the wishes of its closest ally.

President Joe Biden has urged Israel not to go ahead with such an operation over fears it would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in the Palestinian enclave. On Wednesday, he said the United States would not provide offensive weapons for a Rafah offensive, raising pressure on Netanyahu.

But in a statement released Thursday, Netanyahu said “if we have to stand alone, we will stand alone. If we need to, we will fight with our fingernails. But we have much more than fingernails.”
Israel’s top military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, also appeared to downplay the practical impact of any arms holdup. “The army has munitions for the missions it plans, and for the missions in Rafah, too — we have what we need,” he said in response to a question at a news conference.
Israel has repeatedly threatened to invade Rafah, where some 1.3 million Palestinians — over half the population — have sought refuge. The city in southern Gaza is also the main hub for humanitarian operations, which have been severely hindered by the closure of Gaza’s two main crossings this week.
Israel says Rafah is the last stronghold of Hamas and that the army must go in if it hopes to dismantle the group and return scores of hostages captured in the Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war.
In an earlier response to Biden’s decision, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote a post on the platform X with a heart between the words “Hamas” and “Biden.” He and other ultra-nationalist members of Netanyahu’s coalition support a large-scale Rafah operation and have threatened to bring down his government if it doesn’t happen.
Aid groups say a Rafah invasion would be catastrophic. The UN says most of the territory’s 2.3 million Palestinians suffer from hunger and that northern Gaza is already experiencing “full-blown famine.”
Even the limited operation Israel launched earlier this week, in which a tank brigade captured the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, has thrown humanitarian operations into crisis.
It also complicated what had been months of efforts by the US, Qatar and Egypt to broker a ceasefire and the release of hostages. Hamas this week said it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal, but Israel says the plan does not meet its “core” demands. Several days of follow-up talks appeared to end inconclusively on Thursday.
Some analysts said Biden’s tough line against Israel, and the rift between the allies, threatened to weaken Israel’s negotiating position and harden Hamas’ stances. Hamas has demanded guarantees for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal — steps Israel has ruled out.
“It sends a discordant message at a time when Hamas is holding out on a hostage deal in the hopes that pressure will grow on Israel and it will gain a ceasefire without having to give anything in return,” said the Israel Policy Forum, a pro-Israel organization based in New York.
The war began with Hamas’ surprise attack into southern Israel, in which it killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 250 hostage. The militants are still holding some 100 captives and the remains of more than 30 after most of the rest were released during a ceasefire last year.
The war has killed over 34,800 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israel’s offensive, waged with US-supplied munitions, has caused widespread devastation and forced some 80 percent of Gaza’s population to flee their homes.
Israel’s capture of the Rafah crossing Tuesday forced the closure of a key entry point for fuel, and it’s unclear when it will reopen. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, said it only has enough stocks to maintain operations for a few days and has started rationing.
Israel reopened its side of the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing — Gaza’s main cargo terminal — after a rocket attack over the weekend, but UNRWA, the main provider of aid in Gaza, says aid cannot be brought in on the Palestinian side because of the security situation.
A recently reopened route in the north is still functioning, but only 60 trucks entered on Tuesday, far below the 500 that entered Gaza each day before the war.
The first aid ship bound for an American-built floating pier to be installed in Gaza departed early Thursday. But it’s unclear when that corridor will be up and running, and even then it won’t be able to handle as much aid as Gaza’s two main land crossings.
Maj. Pete Nguyen, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that parts of the pier are still in the Israeli port of Ashdod awaiting more favorable seas before being moved into position off Gaza. He said the US vessel Sagamore, which left Cyprus, would transport aid to another ship, the Roy P. Benavidez, which is off the coast of Gaza.
“In the coming days, the US will commence an international community-backed effort to expand the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza using a floating pier,” he said.
 


Hezbollah attacks Israeli barracks after party members killed in drone strike

Updated 09 May 2024
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Hezbollah attacks Israeli barracks after party members killed in drone strike

  • Gallant threatens ‘open war’ against Lebanon, warns troops to prepare for ‘hot summer’

BEIRUT: Hezbollah launched several attacks on Israeli military targets across Lebanon’s border on Thursday after four of its members were killed in Israeli strikes, security sources said.

Israeli drones on Thursday had struck a car in Bafliyeh, Tyre — 99 km from Beirut — that was transporting Hezbollah members.

The group announced the death of two of its members, followed by a third who died from severe injuries.

Although Bafliyeh is located south of the Litani Line, it has never been targeted over the past seven months, making the attack a violation of the rules of engagement.

The town is located in a vital area, close to Tyre and surrounded by villages where UNIFIL forces operate.

A security source said that four Israeli drones hovered over several towns in the vicinity of Tyre and chased a car on the Bafliyeh-Arzoun road.

The drones then fired several missiles at the vehicle, destroying it.

Lebanon’s civil defense rescue force said that its members extinguished a fire inside a car that Israeli drones had struck.

It said that the bodies of the victims were pulled out of the car by the rescue force and transferred to hospital.

Hezbollah announced the death of Ali Ahmad Hamza, born in 1958, from Debaal, southern Lebanon, as well as Ahmad Hassan Maatouk, born in 1989, from the Lebanese southern village of Sir Al-Gharbiyeh.

It later confirmed the death of Hussein Ahmad Hamdan from Burj Al-Barajneh, located in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Hezbollah responded to the assassination by striking Israeli military sites, including destroying “technical systems” developed in the Israeli Ramia outpost.

It also struck a new command center in the Natur settlement with artillery as well as a “group of soldiers in the Al-Jerdah site, killing and injuring them.”

The escalation on the southern Lebanese front coincided with further Israeli threats of open war against Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said: “We will achieve our goals in the north and south. We will paralyze Hamas, destroy Hezbollah and achieve security.”

Hezbollah struck Israeli military sites and settlements in the north with dozens of missiles on Wednesday evening after Gallant visited his army’s positions in the north.

Gallant addressed the reserve forces of the 91st Division (affiliated with the Northern Command and responsible for the front with Lebanon, from Ras Naqoura to Mount Hermon) at the Branit Barracks.

The minister warned troops to be “prepared for a hot summer.”

Gallant said that Tel Aviv “is determined to return the residents of the northern areas that were evacuated amid the ongoing border confrontations with Hezbollah.”

He added that “the mission is not accomplished” in the area.

According to Israeli media, Hezbollah missiles “targeted the headquarters of the 91st Division” shortly after Gallant left.

According to an Israeli statement, Gallant, during his visit, was briefed on “operations to adapt operational activities in confronting Hezbollah forces.”

Hezbollah said in a statement that its members targeted the headquarters of the 91st Division in the Branit Barracks “with a heavy-caliber Burkan missile, causing a direct hit.”

Israeli shelling and airstrikes on the border area on Wednesday night led to the killing of five members of Hezbollah and the Islamic Jihad movement.

Hezbollah mourned Hassan Mohammed Ismail (born in 1993) from Kfarkela in the south and Mustafa Ali Issa (born in 1988) from Dlafy in western Bekaa.

Also on Thursday, the Lebanese branch of the Al-Quds Brigades — the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement — mourned Mahmoud Mohammed Balawni, Ahmed Mohammed Halawa and Mohammed Hussein Joud from the Martyr Ali Al-Aswad Brigade — Syrian Square.

Israeli threats emerged after Lebanon received warnings from European sources about the potential for escalation in southern Lebanon over the coming months.

A political observer said that several Lebanese officials who visited Paris had conveyed warning messages regarding the situation.

In Beirut, the parliamentary foreign affairs committee listened to a report from Human Rights Watch on documented Israeli attacks on civilians in Lebanon.

MP Fadi Alame spoke of “war crimes committed, especially the deliberate shelling of journalists and the martyrdom of some, the use of white phosphorus in Gaza and Lebanon and the resulting damages, and the type of weapons used to kill paramedics.”

He said: “The government submitted a report through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting the international court to conduct necessary investigations into violations and war crimes, and the foreign affairs committee is coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure the effectiveness and speed of action.

“This is Lebanon’s right to demand (compensation) for the damage incurred.”


Israel strikes eastern Rafah as ceasefire talks end with no deal

Updated 09 May 2024
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Israel strikes eastern Rafah as ceasefire talks end with no deal

  • Ceasefire talks make some headway, but no deal, say Egyptian security sources
  • Israeli official said operation in Rafah to proceed as planned
  • Rafah residents fear a full invasion

CAIRO/RAFAH/WASHINGTON: Israeli tanks and warplanes bombarded areas of Rafah on Thursday, Palestinian residents said, after President Joe Biden said the United States would withhold weapons from Israel if its forces mount a major invasion of the southern Gaza city.
A senior Israeli official said that the latest round of indirect negotiations in Cairo to halt hostilities had ended and Israel would proceed with its operation in Rafah and other parts of the Gaza Strip as planned.
Israel has submitted to mediators its reservations about a Hamas proposal for a hostage release deal and the Israeli delegation was returning from the Egyptian capital, the official added.
In Gaza, Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad said their fighters fired anti-tank rockets and mortars at Israeli tanks massed on the eastern outskirts of the city.
Residents and medics in Rafah, the biggest urban area in Gaza not yet overrun by Israeli ground forces, said an Israeli attack by a mosque killed at least three people and wounded others in the eastern Brazil neighborhood.
Video footage from the scene showed the minaret lying in the rubble, two bodies wrapped in blankets and a wounded man being carried away.
On the city’s eastern edge, residents said a helicopter opened fire, while drones hovered above houses in several areas, some close to rooftops.
Israel says Hamas militants are hiding in Rafah, where the population has been swelled by hundreds of thousands of Gazans seeking refuge from bombardments elsewhere in the coastal enclave, and it needs to eliminate them for its own security.
One of the displaced, Mohammad Abder-Rahman, said he feared the Israeli bombardments presaged an invasion of the city.
“It reminds me of what happened before Israeli tanks stormed our residential areas in Gaza City, heavy bombardment usually allows tanks to roll toward places they intend to invade,” the 42-year-old told Reuters via a messaging app.
Ceasefire talks in Egypt’s capital made some headway but no deal was reached, according to two Egyptian security sources.
The Hamas delegation left for Doha for consultations, blaming Israel for the lack of agreement so far.
Israel has said it is open to a truce, but has rejected demands for an end to the war as it has vowed to demolish Hamas.
Biden, who says Israel has not produced a convincing plan to safeguard civilians in Rafah, issued his starkest warning yet against a full ground invasion.
“I made it clear that if they go into Rafah, ... I’m not supplying the weapons,” Biden told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.
Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 80,000, most of them civilians, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said.
It launched its offensive in response to a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7 in which they killed about 1,200 people and abducted 252. Some 128 hostages remain in Gaza and 36 have been declared dead, according to the latest Israeli figures.

80,000 PALESTINIANS FLEE AGAIN THIS WEEK
On Tuesday, Israeli tanks seized the Gaza side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on Tuesday, cutting off a vital aid route and forcing 80,000 people to flee the city this week, according to the United Nations.
“The toll on these families is unbearable. Nowhere is safe,” the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said in a post on X.
An Israeli military statement on Gaza operations on Thursday morning did not refer to Rafah.
The United States is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel, and it accelerated deliveries after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7 that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. Biden acknowledged that US bombs have killed Palestinian civilians in the seven-month-old offensive.
US officials have said Washington paused delivery of a shipment of 1,800 2,000-pound bombs and 1,700 500-pound bombs to Israel because of the risk to civilians in Gaza.
Israel’s United Nations ambassador Gilad Erdan said the US decision to pause some weapons deliveries to Israel would significantly impair the country’s ability to neutralize Hamas’ power, according to Israeli public radio.
But Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Israel’s “enemies and friends” it would do whatever necessary achieve its war aims in Gaza, underlining the scale of the standoff.
Israel kept up tank and aerial strikes across Gaza and tanks advanced in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City in the north, forcing hundreds of families to flee, residents said. The Israeli military said it was securing Zeitoun, starting with a series of intelligence-based aerial strikes on approximately 25 “terror targets.”
Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza was heaving with people who had fled Rafah in recent days. Palestinian medics said two people, including a woman, were killed when a drone fired a missile at a group of people there.

CIA DIRECTOR SHUTTLES BETWEEN JERUSALEM AND CAIRO
In Cairo, delegations from Hamas, Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar had been meeting since Tuesday. CIA Director William Burns has shuttled between Cairo and Jerusalem, meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday.
Izzat El-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political office in Qatar, said the Hamas delegation had left Cairo, having reaffirmed its approval the mediators’ ceasefire proposal. The plan entails the release of Israeli hostages held captive in Gaza and a number of Palestinians jailed by Israel.

MEDICAL SECTOR COLLAPSED
The closure of the Rafah crossing with Egypt has prevented the evacuation of the wounded and sick and the entry of medical supplies, food trucks and fuel needed to operate hospitals, the Gaza health ministry said on Thursday.
The only kidney dialysis center in the Rafah area had stopped operating due to the shelling.
“There used to be medical aid coming in, and now there is no medical aid,” said Ali Abu Khurma, a Jordanian surgeon volunteering at Al Aqsa hospital in Deir Al-Balah.
“The entire medical sector has collapsed.”


Turkiye, Kuwait deals signal rise of ‘nonaligned axis’ in region

Updated 09 May 2024
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Turkiye, Kuwait deals signal rise of ‘nonaligned axis’ in region

  • Partnerships with Gulf countries ‘are win-win moves economically, politically’ for Ankara, analyst tells Arab News
  • Visit is significant as it is Sheikh Meshal’s first to a non-Arab country since taking office in December

ANKARA: Turkiye and Kuwait recently strengthened their bilateral relations by signing six cooperation agreements in the fields of defense, trade, energy, tourism, health and diplomacy during Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah’s visit to Ankara, where he was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a grand state ceremony.

These agreements, including a protocol on defense procurement and a memorandum of understanding on strategic dialogue, followed discussions between the leaders and their delegations.

The visit is significant as it is Sheikh Meshal’s first to a non-Arab country since taking office in December, and coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Kuwait.

Eyup Ersoy, a visiting fellow in the Department of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science, said that the progress in bilateral relations is bound to have an impact on regional politics.

“There is a recently revived Turkish interest in developing its relations with the states of the region which are keen to adopt a neutral position in the polarized regional geopolitics. Accordingly, there seems to be a cluster of countries in the Middle East that are trying to stay out of the entanglements of regional geopolitics,” he told Arab News.

“With the consolidation of Turkish-Kuwaiti relations, this nonaligned axis is expected to establish itself as a third alternative in the polarized region. In this regard, the signing of a strategic dialogue agreement signifies the commitment of the two states to align their regional policies.” 

According to Turkiye’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Tuba Nur Sonmez, who spoke to Kuwait’s state news agency KUNA, the visit included discussions on bilateral relations and regional issues such as the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Both countries aim to increase their trade volume to $1 billion from $688 million last year, with Turkish exports to Kuwait exceeding $583 million last year. In addition, Kuwait sealed a $367 million deal with Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar to buy TB2 armed drones in 2023.

According to Ersoy, the defense industry supply agreement signed during the visit indicates a mutual interest in advancing defense industry cooperation between the two states.

“The content of the actual transactions will be determined by the Kuwaiti leadership’s assessment of Kuwait’s defense industry needs and the extent to which Turkiye could supply relevant defense industry products,” he said.

However, Ersoy said that trade volume between the two countries is not high compared with their other trading partners. 

“For example, in 2022, Turkiye ranked 19th among Kuwait’s export destinations, while Kuwait ranked only 56th for Turkish exports,” he said.

“Therefore, both sides are keen to strengthen their trade relations, as indicated by the statement during the visit on the need to revitalize the Joint Economic Commission.

“In addition, Kuwait’s leadership is seeking to diversify its economy in line with its Vision 2035 strategy, as its revenues are almost entirely based on the export of hydrocarbons. Increased trade with Turkiye has the potential to contribute to this ambitious macroeconomic goal,” Ersoy said.

Kuwaiti direct investment flow in Turkiye, which stood at $2 billion last year, has also continued, reaching $1.5 billion so far this year.

“More Kuwaiti participation in the Turkish economy, especially through direct and portfolio investment, is imminent,” said Ersoy. 

Kuwait is also expected to take steps to reduce its trade imbalance with Turkiye, he added.

In the tourism sector, Istanbul broke a 10-year record last year with a surge of Gulf tourists visiting the city. Trabzon, Bodrum, and Izmir are other top destinations for Kuwaiti tourists visiting Turkiye during the summer.

However, Arab visitors have been the targets of sporadic attacks amid anti-Arab sentiment in Turkiye. Last year, a Kuwaiti tourist was attacked in the northern city of Trabzon. 

Betul Dogan Akkas, an assistant professor of international relations at Ankara University, said bilateral relations between Turkiye and Kuwait were based on mutual respect and trust, stemming from a historical and diplomatic legacy.

“There is capital in these relations to promote cooperation, especially in the economic sphere, including the defense industry,” she told Arab News.

“Kuwait is open to consolidating its trade, and for Ankara, partnerships with Gulf countries are win-win moves both economically and politically.

 “The key aspect in analyzing these relations is the current willingness of both sides to build long-term goals. So far, we have seen mostly reactionary or short-term economic and political moves,“ Dogan Akkas said.

“Now is the right time for relations to institutionalize diplomatic capital. This requires leadership support, and both parties have it, as the emir of Kuwait visited Turkiye as his first non-Arab trip.”

Dogan Akkas also believes that the level of success and structure of political decision-making are crucial to strengthening relations.

She said that Turkiye’s ambassador to Kuwait is using her position to “achieve a comprehensive and well-structured long-term goal.”

Another question about this visit is the significance of its timing.

Ersoy believes that the Turkish president’s recent visit to Iraq appears to have eased a source of tension in Gulf politics by demonstrating Ankara’s willingness to cultivate more constructive and cordial relations with a critical neighbor of Kuwait.

“Turkiye’s receptiveness to regional political dialogue and economic prosperity has shaped the Kuwaiti leadership’s assessments in strengthening Kuwait’s ties with Turkiye,” he said. 

Kuwait recently showed unease at being left out of the development road project linking Iraq to Turkiye and the Gulf states. During Erdogan’s recent visit to Iraq, Ankara secured the signing of a quadrilateral memorandum of understanding between Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, and Turkiye.

However, the project, which will significantly boost regional transport, will be launched from Iraq’s Faw port, adjacent to Kuwait’s Mubarek port, whose delayed completion has been criticized in Kuwait.

But there was no mention of this unease during the visit to Ankara.

In addition, Ersoy said, national security imperatives appear to have contributed to the recent visit. 

“Kuwait’s neutrality in the regional struggle does not guarantee immunity from coercive diplomacy or punitive strategies in a militarized and highly volatile region,” he said.

“Therefore, exploring and building a security partnership with Turkiye appears prudent for the Kuwaiti leadership, which is another reason for the recent high-level visit.”

In this context, Dogan Akkas underlined the importance of the regionalizing their cooperation.

“If Kuwait and Turkiye take their cooperation to a regional or subregional level, as leaders in certain regional affairs, the political capital will be properly implemented,” she said.