Kuwaiti dignitaries tour Bermuda

His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, Prime Minister;  His Excellency Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; along with a delegation of 20, briefly touched down on our shores for a private stop-over visit on the way to their final destination in Mexico.

This marked the first time that dignitaries of this stature from the country of Kuwait have paid a visit to Bermuda.

Premier Ewart Brown said he believes the special visit can be linked to recent government work in that jurisdiction with both the nations of India and Bahrain.

“In April of this year we signed the first Double Tax Information Exchange Agreement with the country of Bahrain,” explained the Premier. “At that time the agreement was touted as a significant step forward in enhancing business ties and investment opportunities that will facilitate outreach to other countries within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).”

The Premier added that he hopes the visit will be the “first of many” in building and solidifying the relationship between Bermuda and the ‘House of Al Sabah’, who is the ruling family of Kuwait and has ruled since 1752.

Deputy Governor David Arkley and Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet Judith Hall-Bean met His Highness on his arrival by two private jets at LF Wade International Airport at 11:50am.

Although only in Bermuda for five hours, the delegation took time to visit some of the more significant sites across the island - via a pink Bermuda bus - which included the Clocktower Mall in the Royal Naval Dockyard, from where the group made several purchases.

Some members of the delegation also managed to squeeze in an ocean dip off one of the South Shore beaches.

Following their brief tour of the island, the delegation paid a courtesy call on Acting Governor David Arkley and Premier Dr. Ewart Brown at Government House.

During their informal meeting Kuwait’s Prime Minister expressed his hope to return to Bermuda in the future and extended his hospitality to the Premier should he visit Kuwait.

Premier Brown said: “It was a pleasure meeting with His Highness and the Deputy Prime Minister of Kuwait today. Our discussions were wide-ranging and I know they are encouraged by the possibility of building stronger relationships with our country.

“The Prime Minister expressed his enjoyment of the beauty of Bermuda and its people and said he looked forward to visiting us in the near future.”

Kuwait is located between Iraq and Saudi Arabia along the Persian Gulf and is widely known as one of the world’s top exporters of oil; the fifth-biggest oil producer among OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) members. 

In 1991, a Time Magazine article stated that the Al-Sabah family had an estimated wealth of $90 Billion dollars, mainly from oil revenues.

His Highness Sheikh Nasser Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah has been Prime Minister since 2006.