Australia thanks Kuwait for support during bushfire tragedy
KUWAIT: Australia Day 2020 was organized at Jumeirah Beach Hotel on Tuesday with Kuwait’s Assistant Foreign Minister for the Americas Hamad Sulaiman Al-Mashaan as the chief guest. Australian Ambassador to Kuwait Jonathan Gilbert thanked Kuwait for its support, especially during the recent wildfires raging in his country. “In difficult times, friends stand by each other, and Kuwait has shown just that,” he said. “I sincerely appreciate the genuine concern and messages of support that Kuwaitis including HH the Amir have conveyed to my government about the situation back home. Despite the bushfire damage, Australia remains open for business. Our trading partners, including Kuwait, can continue to have confidence in Australian agriculture and food exports,” he said.
Gilbert said Australia continues to be a safe tourism destination, whether in unaffected regions or those that will soon recover from the terrible bushfires. “The best that we can do now is to support affected communities and continue to promote all the wonderful things about Australia and our people to the world,” he said. He also showcased the strong Kuwaiti-Australian relations and friendship between the two countries. “It is a relationship that delivers for both our nations in education, research, trade, investment, regional security or multilateral cooperation,” he said.
Gilbert also took pride in Australia being an integral part of the lives and careers of so many young Kuwaitis - be they engineers, journalists, scientists, entrepreneurs or doctors. He also mentioned that approximately 700 Kuwaitis are currently studying in Australia, and believed this number will grow. He said Australian education is exported to Kuwait as well, especially with the presence of two Australian colleges in Kuwait Australian College of Kuwait and Box Hill College Kuwait.