Sami Al-Hamad, Kuwait's assistant foreign minister for consular affairs.

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti-UAE Consular Committee, at its second meeting held yesterday, discussed activating the treaty for convicts' extradition between the two countries. Ambassador Ahmad Al-Dhahri, the UAE assistant undersecretary for consular affairs, said in a statement that the accord would be put into effect anew after adopting the meeting minutes today.

The accord primarily stipulates that the convict "should be placed at a correction facility," however such a situation warrants his (or her) approval.  Members of the commission discussed during today's session "electronic and temporary passports" and prospected coordination between the two sides in this regard.  The common commission held its first meeting in November 2015, in the UAE.  Sami Al-Hamad, Kuwait's assistant foreign minister for consular affairs, indicated the mutual need to coordinate at the consular level due to substantial interaction at the investment, tourist and educational levels.

Yesterday's talks focused on furnishing Kuwaiti and UAE citizens with all possible facilities, he added. The committee held a meeting to examine bilateral relations and discuss prospects of achieving sustainable strategic partnership between the two GCC countries. Ambassador Hamad said in a statement at opening the commission's second session that such a gathering depicts depth of the historic and brotherly relations between the two countries.

The session was held in line with guidelines by First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, for mutual coordination in various sectors.  For his part Ambassador Al-Dhahri affirmed the mutual desire to cement cooperation in the consular field. The meeting was attended by representatives of Kuwaiti ministries of interior, finance and justice as well as UAE Ambassador Rahma Al-Zuabi. - KUNA