Cooperation with Iran to release citizen: Jarallah
Coordination with US on e-piracy victims
KUWAIT: The Iranian authorities are responsive to the Kuwaiti efforts to release Faleh Al-Azmi, a Kuwaiti national who has been held in Iran, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah said. The authorities in Tehran will not hesitate to release him, Jarallah told reporters on the sidelines of a ceremony held Thursday at the Chinese embassy in Kuwait to mark the 68th anniversary of People’s Republic of China.
He added that a meeting was held with the Iranian Charged d’Affaires in Kuwait and he promised he would contact the authorities at home. The Iranian diplomat said Azmi would be set free as soon as investigations end. Jarallah hoped for “pleasant news” soon. According to the Iranian authorities, the Kuwaiti citizen entered a military zone, may be by mistake, and was held and interrogated.
E-piracy victims
Meanwhile, Jarallah said that the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry is coordinating with the US authorities to restore the rights of the Kuwaiti citizens who have fallen victims to e-piracy in the US. He added that he met with the victims at the Foreign Ministry, and they gave a detailed account of how they were exposed to piracy, and the money seized from them. He noted that they hoped, through coordination with the US embassy in Kuwait, to help them recover their rights and avert any potential prosecution by the US
authorities in the future, as there are fake properties registered in their names, and due taxes have to be paid. They are in a critical situation and need to be assisted, he noted.
In the meantime, Jarallah said that the Syria issue “seems to be moving positively,” hoping the ongoing Russian efforts would end the Syrians’ tragedy. He hoped the Russian positive role and contacts would continue for the good of the Syrian people who have been suffering for long years. “The question is not whether (Syrian) President Bashar Al-Assad would remain in power, but the talk is about efforts, transition and a roadmap regarding the situation in Syria,” he said. He voiced optimism for positive development hoping the ongoing efforts would manage to contain the situation in Syria. Strategic partnership
On the Kuwaiti-Chinese relations, Jarallah expressed desire to make strategic partnership with China for closer political and economic bonds between Kuwait and the Asian nation. Jarallah indicated that the relationship with China dates back to the Asian nation’s founding. “This is a very long period of time, a period full of accomplishments at the level of joint interests,” he said. The Deputy Foreign Minister praised China’s support for the State of Kuwait, at international quarters, particularly during the Iraqi occupation in the 1990s.
Chinese companies are partaking in mega development projects, namely in energy and housing sectors, in Kuwait, he said, noting that Beijing has earmarked up to $400 billion for investments in South Asia and the Gulf.
Strategic partnership with China for closer bonds