The Australian Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Jonathan Gilbert hosted his country’s Australia Day 2020 festivities at the Jumeirah Messilah Beach Hotel on 21 January. Assistant Foreign Minister for the Americas Hamad Sulaiman Al-Mashaan was the chief guest at the function, which was attended by members of the diplomatic corps, Australian nationals, special invitees and media personnel.
In his address to the gathering, Ambassador Gilbert expressed his appreciation to the political leadership in Kuwait and to everyone who sent messages of support and concern over the fires that devastated large swathes of Australia. He added that despite the fires, Australia is still a safe destination for tourists and that agricultural products and foodstuff sector were not affected by the fires. Clarifying that the situation is currently stable as the fires have largely been controlled, Ambassador Gilbert emphasized that the fires did not affect the movement of trade exchanges between Australia and Kuwait, especially the export of livestock.
Highlighting that the volume of trade exchange between his country and Kuwait is growing and the relations are going great, he called on investors to continue working and cooperating in a way that serves the interests of the two friendly countries. He pointed out that Kuwait is the second-largest investor in Australia after the European Union with an investment of more than $15 billion in very successful projects that benefit both countries.
Praising the academic cooperation between the two countries, he underscored that more than 700 Kuwaiti students are studying in various Australian universities, and expressed hope to increase these numbers in the future. He added that he is proud of Australia’s cooperation with the Australian College and Boxhill College in Kuwait, which increased the number of registered students to more than 4000 Kuwaiti students.
For his part, Al-Mashaan affirmed the depth of the distinguished relations between Kuwait and Australia and said, “We congratulate the Australian people on this occasion, and at the same time we offer our condolences for the recent fires that hit their country, and we hope that their country will recover soon.”
Stressing that Kuwait’s relations with Australia go back to 1974, he added, “There are 12 cooperation agreements signed between the two countries, and Kuwait is the second largest Gulf country in terms of investment in Australia. He noted that there were plans to establish a joint committee between the two countries next June, and that the first joint political committee meeting will be held in the Australian capital to enhance cooperation between the two countries.
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