The UAE and Kuwait have agreed to collaborate in the education, culture and arts field. The countries signed two executive programmes for co-operation in these areas during the fourth round of UAE-Kuwait Joint Committee’s virtual meeting on Thursday. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, co-chaired the committee, alongside Kuwait’s foreign minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah. Sheikh Abdullah started the committee by offering prayers for the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed, Emir of Kuwait, who passed away on September 29 at age 91. He also expressed his confidence in Kuwait’s new ruler Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah. “We look forward to continuing our joint action to deepen and our fraternal relations and grow them further,” said Sheikh Abdullah. “We are always keen to exchange views with our brothers in the State of Kuwait on the regional and international challenges, developments and issues, in order to build unified stances to push for further progress and prosperity for the peoples of the region.” The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the recognising the eligibility certificates for sea workers and for co-operation in the Islamic affairs field. The UAE is the ninth largest market for Kuwaiti exports worldwide. Non-oil trade between the two countries increased from $7 billion in 2016 to $10.5 billion in 2019, enabling Kuwait to become UAE’s fifth largest market for non-oil exports.