CAIRO: Gabonese Deputy Foreign Minister Nanette Kinda said yesterday that His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is held in high regards by African leaders. In a statement to the press, Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for Africa Affairs Ambassador Hamad Al-Mishaan said that this praise came during a meeting with Kinda in the capital Libreville. Kinda expressed the appreciation of Gabon for the role of Kuwait and His Highness the Amir in the Gulf mediation and bridging the Gulf differences.

His Highness is greatly appreciated by African leaders due to his interest in the issues of the African continent and the role he plays towards it, appreciating Kuwait's active role and what it provided to international peace and security and its interest in African issues during its membership in the Security Council. She praised Kuwait for its continuous support for the International Peace and Security Forum, which is held in Dakar in November of every year. She also hailed the development role that Kuwait plays in the African continent through the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the huge development projects it is undertaking there.

On the specifics of the meeting, Ambassador Mishaan said that it touched on the possibility of exchanging oil expertize, given that Gabon is an oil country. "We also invited a delegation representing the Gabonese oil sector to visit Kuwait," he added. Ambassador Mishaan called on Gabon to support Kuwait's candidacy for the membership of the Board of Directors of the Universal Postal Union and the membership of the Postal Investment Council during the 27th conference of the Union to be held in Cote d'Ivoire 2020. - KUNA