Kuwait yet to send GCC Summit invites: Deputy Foreign Minister
Coordination with Iran to release detained Kuwaiti
KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah revealed yesterday that Kuwait has not yet sent invitations for the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit of leaders due to be held in Kuwait this December. He told reporters at a lecture in Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah Diplomatic Institute that it was “too early to discuss these invitations and send them” to Gulf leaders. According to local and Arab media reports, the invitations are set to be dispatched early December.
Meanwhile, Jarallah said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still coordinating with Iran on the issue of the detained Kuwaiti national Faleh Al-Azmi, adding that dialogue was still ongoing. Kuwait is keen on resolving this issue with Tehran and it is continuing to follow up on the case, he said. The Iranian authorities have arrested Azmi after he mistakenly entered a military zone located on the borders between Iran and Turkey. Azmi, who was abroad, was making his way back to Kuwait.
Donors’ conference
In the meantime, Jarallah indicated that Kuwait’s preparations to host a donors’ conference for the reconstruction of Iraqi areas liberated from the so-called Islamic State (IS) are running steadily and smoothly. “Kuwait is in constant contact with the Iraqi government and the World Bank in this regard,” he told reporters. “The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development seeks to provide a clear-cut framework and set of objectives for the conference,” he added. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had announced the plans during a telephone call with Iraqi President Haidar Al-Abadi in July.
Human rights
Kuwait deems human rights issues as the core of concern and a key indicator of any civilization’s advancement, Jarallah said in a speech during a lecture hosted by the foreign ministry, dealing with the correlation between sustained development and human rights. Jarallah spoke of “diligent efforts to reinforce human rights as an essential element of sustained development.” He pointed out that Kuwait is due to present its national report on human rights before the United Nations shortly. “Kuwait is inching closer towards fulfilling His Highness the Amir’s vision of transforming Kuwait into a financial and commercial powerhouse,” Jarallah added. He outlined various initiatives Kuwait has taken to ensure that the aforementioned vision comes to fruition, including a slew of plans germane to sustained development. Meanwhile, assistant foreign minister for development affairs and international cooperation Nasser Al-Sabeeh noted that the lecture was part of the country’s plan for sustained development. He stressed that sustained development can only occur with cooperation across the board, where all segments of society are equally involved.
Plans underway to host Iraq donors’ conference