Gulf countries concerned as Turkey cozies up to Kuwait
Turkey’s military cooperation accord with Kuwait raises eyebrows in the Gulf.
As repercussions from Turkey's move to set up a military base in Qatar continue to resonate, Ankara is going ahead with adding a military dimension to relations with Kuwait. Ankara, whose relations with Kuwait have been warming for the past two years, recently signed a military cooperation agreement with the Persian Gulf nation bordering Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
According to the agreement signed by deputy chiefs of staff of the two countries during the Turkey-Kuwait Military Cooperation Committee meeting, the two nations are planning to share their military experiences and coordinate their activities beginning in 2019.
The agreement occurs amid the backdrop of Turkey’s close ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, Turkish moves to become a shield for Qatar against the Saudi-United Arab Emirates alliance, the decision by Riyadh to assist Kurds in Syria and the tensions that erupted with this month's disappearance of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul.
Kuwait became concerned about the intentions of Mohammed bin Salman after he was named Saudi Arabia's crown prince last year. Moreover, the decision by the Trump administration to support Riyadh took away some of Kuwait's defenses.
