Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled meets British counterpart, committee chairman

LONDON: Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al- Hamad Al-Sabah meets with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. — KUNA photos

LONDON: Kuwait's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah has spoken highly of his country's ties with Britain, citing a collective desire for more progress in relations. After an encounter with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson yesterday, the Kuwaiti foreign minister said that he was delighted to have been invited for talks over matters of mutual concern. "We have spoken extensively about a number of major issues," Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said, pinpointing the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, in addition to the war against terror. He also spoke of the recent Kuwaiti-UK Joint Steering Group meeting, which addressed issues running the gamut from defense and healthcare to education and investment.

On bilateral ties, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled highlighted the impenetrable bond that both nations share, saying that his meeting with Johnson was an opportunity to take relations to a new level. The meeting brought together a phalanx of officials from the Kuwaiti foreign ministry. The Kuwaiti top diplomat then left, ending the one-day visit. During Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled's meeting with Johnson, efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and exchange of views over regional and international development and challenges were discussed.

Earlier yesterday, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled met at Kuwait's embassy in London with chairman of the British Parliamentary Friendship Committee Leo Docherty, where they reviewed bilateral relations and means to strengthen them. Docherty underlined the importance of relations with Kuwait, working together to build such relationship and take it to even higher levels. He added that meeting the foreign minister was a great chance to look through international issues, praising Kuwait's role in the region's stability and perusing a successful policy on regional and international levels.

The meetings were attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador to the UK Khaled Al-Duwaisan, Assistant Foreign Minister for Europe Affairs Ambassador Waleed Al-Khubaizi, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for the Foreign Minister's office affairs Ambassador Saleh Al-Loughani and ranking foreign ministry officials. - KUNA