Kuwait ready to resume talks with EU on visa exemption — diplomat
‘Kuwait affirms Israel must join NPT’
KUWAIT CITY, May 10, (KUNA): Kuwait is ready to resume negotiations with the European Commission on exempting Kuwaiti nationals from Schengen visa, Assistant Foreign Minister for Europe Affairs Ambassador Waleed Al-Khubaizi affirmed Wednesday.
The Kuwaiti government is willing to resume talks once the commission resolves the issue of influx of illegal immigrants to Europe, Al-Khubaizi said in a press statement after meeting with Nicholas Westcott, Managing Director for Middle East and North Africa at the European External Action Service in EU.
The Kuwaiti request for a Schengen visa waiver was addressed to Westcott during the meeting, he mentioned, adding consultations were also held during the meeting, discussing ways to boost bilateral ties and activating cooperation agreements signed between them last July.
Consultations also included boosting bilateral economic, energy, and humanitarian cooperation, the Kuwaiti diplomat said, adding that talks also shed light on the Kuwaiti “eminent” presence in Europe, particularly in investment and energy fields, and ways to capitalize on such distinctive bilateral ties in order to reach further mutual understanding.
Discussed
The two sides also discussed the Kuwaiti-European common interests such as efforts to restore stability, boost security in the region, and strengthen human rights principles and values.
They also agreed on activating cooperation between Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and European development institutions in Third World countries, particularly the African continent, which is part of Kuwait’s role in humanitarian action.
Meanwhile, Kuwait affirmed that Israel must join the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) and have all of its nuclear facilities inspected by the IAEA and other international organizations, said a Kuwait diplomat Wednesday.
Member of Kuwait’s permanent delegation to international organizations’ headquarters in Vienna Haya Al-Mansour delivered Kuwait’s stance on the Israeli issue during a meeting of the preparative committee for the Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the NPT.
Israeli nuclear plants are old and may lack safety measures, which poses threat to the Middle East’s security, said AlMansour.
Meanwhile, she noted that all member-states must have an equal right to own nuclear facilities for peaceful purposes, in accordance with the terms of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The NPT was adopted on June 12, 1968 as an effort to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The treaty took effect on March 5, 1970. Several review conferences were held since 1995; however, there are still countries that did not sign the NPT.