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The historic visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Kuwait did not only refresh the world's memory of how close the ties are between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, it also made us realise how much potential there will be because of unity and cooperation. I would like to kindly take the opportunity to point out how grateful we were by the generous hospitality of our closest neighbours (which did not come as a surprise) - in Arabic we usually say 'our hosts took care of us from the airport to the airport' as a sign of gratitude. Therefore, on behalf of the Saudi delegation, I would like to thank every individual for their efforts in making the visit a memorable one.
Before getting into the technicalities, allow me to first speak about this unique relationship from a historical perspective. Growing up in the '90s, we luckily had the opportunity to witness how strong the ties were from nation to nation, not only politically but also on a humane level. When the Gulf War took place in the early nineties (proud to say I am a daughter of a fighter pilot) the Saudis stood hand in hand to support their brothers in Kuwait to a point where some of the universities were evacuated to accommodate as many Kuwaitis as they possibly could.
To us, at that time, that was the least we could do for a nation we share blood with. Not only that, years before the war, Kuwait had been our strongest allies since the establishment of Saudi Arabia by King Abdulaziz Al-Saud in the early 1930s. This of course, is only a drop in the ocean when it comes to strong Saudi-Kuwaiti ties.
Now, speaking of utilizing the potential between the two, we both reached a point (politically, economically and socially) where we no longer represent ourselves separately; as a matter of fact, we today acknowledge our mutual interest in showing the world that not only is the GCC united, but also fully ready to support one another in achieving each other's vision and mission.
Speaking of all the meetings we conducted during our stay, we concluded that (we surely need to visit each other more often!) and 'get the ball rolling' in all the potential partnerships, specifically within the media field which is probably the fastest growing industry out there. Needless to say, with media being the medium and a tool for 'projection', we agreed that it's a winning investment. By that, I mean that all the ideas we had to develop the industry and help it grow on a multinational level are bound to succeed due to the high demand and the large percentage of 'creative passionate youth' who are turning the industry into an innovative one.
I truly wish I had the space to speak more in depth about how fruitful and genuine the negotiations were with our Kuwaiti brothers - but I shall leave the rest to the element of suspense and hope for this to be a start of endless and sustainable successes.
By Nada Al-Tuwaijri
Advisor at the Saudi Ministry of Media
