KUWAIT: Ambassador of France to Kuwait Marie Masdupuy speaks during the reception.

KUWAIT: Ambassador of France to Kuwait Marie Masdupuy hosted a reception on Tuesday for soldiers participating in the sixth 'Pearl of the West' military exercises that will end on Nov 30. Masdupuy said the military exercises between the French army and its Kuwaiti counterpart is carried out with live ammunition. The armies of both countries conduct the joint military exercises to boost the combat readiness of troops. It is held regularly every four years. "We are now living in a time of tough challenges, especially in the region, where war has been raging and tearing apart countries. This year's military exercise is historic because France has never deployed such a large number of military personnel in an exercise," she said during the reception's welcoming speech.

"Pearl of the West in the eyes of our Kuwaiti friends means France, and we are touched by the hospitality and confidence bestowed to us by our Kuwaiti partners. It implies a lot with regards to the depth of our relationship. The current number of military personnel from France in Kuwait is above 1,000. Approximately half of them are coming from our base in the UAE and the rest directly from France," she said. With regards to military equipment being used in the exercise, she said most of it is from their military base in the United Arab Emirates.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank both the head of this military exercise and the top military men and personnel of both countries. I would like to thank them for the extensive contribution they made for the success of the Pearl of the West 2018 military exercises. Thanks to the Kuwaiti side that really exerted a lot of efforts for this wonderful exchange of experiences which took place between the military men. Our deep gratitude goes to the Kuwaiti armed forces, and on behalf of our chief of staff, I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to General Al-Dhafiri for the conduct of the exercise," she said. Troops fired live ammunition during the exercises held at Camp Udaira's shooting range northwest of Kuwait City. The two-week Kuwaiti-French military exercises will conclude on Saturday.

By Ben Garcia