ShareTUNIS: Tunisian Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi spoke highly of the deep-rooted relationship between his country and Kuwait and appreciated as central the role of Kuwait in regional and global affairs. “Thanks to its composed foreign policy, the State of Kuwait expresses the true voice of the Arab world, bridging the rifts among different countries, and promoting international peace and security,” he said.
Jerandi made the comments in an interview yesterday on the eve of his visit to Kuwait to take part in the consultative meeting of the Arab foreign ministers. Kuwait Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah will chair the meeting. The Tunisian minister said his country holds in high esteem the Kuwaiti leadership, government and people, and appreciates the principled stances of Kuwait in serving the Arab causes. “The State of Kuwait plays a leading role in using its good offices in finding peaceful solutions to crises inside the Arab region and beyond,” he affirmed.
On the bilateral ties, he said Tunisia and Kuwait maintain close relationship and fruitful cooperation in various fields, thanks to the keenness of both sides to take the relations to a new height. At the behest of their leaders, both countries work diligently to strengthen their ties and realize the aspirations of their peoples, he pointed out. In early October 2020, President Kais Saied, of Tunisia, visited Kuwait and met His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to offer condolences over the demise of late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. During the summit meeting, both leaders stated a shared desire to open new horizons for cooperation and deepen the friendly ties, the minister recalled. The relationship gained momentum through the noble decision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to provide a lifeline to Tunisia when it suffers severe shortage of medical supplies and oxygen in the peak of coronavirus outbreak in mid-July 2021. “His Highness the Amir also instructed providing Tunisia with advanced firefighting equipment to help control the wildfires in the northern areas in last August,” Jerandi went on.
Diplomatic school
On his diplomat career, the Tunisian foreign minister said he started as ambassador to Kuwait for nine years during which he was able to learn from the Kuwaiti diplomatic school founded by late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. “The late Amir was a staunch defender of not only Kuwait’s but all Arab causes as well; he was a true mentor for all diplomats on the Arab and international scales. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf follows the same path of his predecessor in pursuing a composed policy, bridging the gaps in inter-Arab relations and expressing the true voice of the right in all issues,” the minister pointed out.
Dealing with diplomatic coordination, Jerandi said he is in constant contact with Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah to address the various bilateral, regional and international issues. “We have mutual confidence enough to address all files candidly and transparently. This coordination was thrown into sharp relief when Kuwait handed over its non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council to Tunisia in late 2019. There had been a chain of in-depth consultations four months earlier regarding the topics on the agenda of the Council,” he recalled, noting that the views of both countries proved to be identical on all issues.
Palestine question
The missions of both countries to the United Nations in New York prioritized the Palestine question and were able to foil the attempts of some parties to exclude this issue from the agenda of the UN Security Council, Jerandi revealed. “Kuwait stuck to its honorable stance and was able to establish the rule of debating the Palestine question at the Council on monthly basis, and we have followed suit,” he stated. Based on shared values, both countries maintain close coordination regarding the major issues of, inter alia, international peace and security, childhood, women and crisis management, he said, noting that their “two missions to the UN Security Council served as one for four years.”
Jerandi commended Kuwait’s efforts to achieve rapprochement among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries and address the Lebanese state of affairs. Regarding the Arab consultative ministerial meeting, he expressed optimism about the event being chaired by Sheikh Dr Ahmad Al-Nasser who took the initiative in convening the meeting. Jerandi voiced hope that candid, constructive and transparent consultations will help find viable solutions to the issues of Palestine, Syria and Libya, as well as the Arab national security, the Arab relations to Asia and Africa. He expected that the ministerial meeting will enhance the Arab solidarity ahead of the Arab Leaders’ Summit, due in Algeria in March, and the Arab-African Summit, due in Saudi Arabia in the following month. — KUNA
