Turkey's Erdogan calls for united front on Gaza truce during visit to Kuwait

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed the importance of maintaining the "hard-won" ceasefire in Gaza during talks with Kuwait's Emir on the first stop of a Gulf tour on Tuesday.

"It is important for the Islamic world to present a united front on this issue, as always," Mr Erdogan told Sheikh Meshal, as reported by the Turkish presidency's communications office.

Ankara played a key role in securing the US-backed agreement between Hamas and Israel to end more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory, alongside Egypt and Qatar, the next stop on Mr Erdogan's tour.

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The presidency said Mr Erdogan and Sheikh Meshal held talks on a free-trade agreement between Turkey and the Gulf Co-operation Council.

Turkey and Kuwait announced the signing of several deals during the visit, including a contract worth nearly $489 million for Turkish construction company Kuzu to build a wastewater treatment plant for Al Mutlaa city, a project north of the Kuwaiti capital.

The two countries also signed deals on co-operation in energy, direct investment and maritime transport, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reported.

Mr Erdogan presented Sheikh Mishal with a Togg, an electric car manufactured in Turkey.

Turkey and Kuwait have long had solid diplomatic ties that could propel deeper co-operation, experts say. In a policy brief released last week, analyst Gorkhan Eli said the nations could do so in several ways: by establishing joint defence industry production, maintenance and training facilities in Kuwait; opening a joint investment platform; and co-operating more closely on logistics corridors and port management.

"Together, they can create a stabilising axis in the Gulf – particularly relevant at a time when the region faces escalating Israeli aggression, intensified Iran-Gulf rivalry, and growing great-power competition," Mr Eli said.

The next stop on Mr Erdogan's three-day tour is Qatar, Anadolu said. He will meet Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim on Wednesday after arriving in Doha on Tuesday night.