The Russian Ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Nikolay Makarov, along with the Military, Air and Naval Attaché Valery Kotogarov, hosted a reception at the Russian embassy on 3 March to celebrate Russia’s Armed Forces Day, also known as Defender of the Motherland Day. Major General Anwar Jassem Al-Mazidi of the Kuwait Defense Ministry General Staff, was the chief guest at the gathering that included members of the diplomatic corps, special invitees and media personnel.
Praising the 55-year-old close relationship between Russia and Kuwait, Attache Kotogarov said these relations continued to grow. He then went on to emphasize the importance of the annual Russian Army Day celebrations, which is observed on 23 February to honor the Russian military and veterans, while recognizing the strength of the Russian armed forces and their contribution to many peacekeeping missions around the world.
On his part, Ambassador Makarov revealed that Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, is on a tour of the Middle Eastern region, starting from Qatar, then Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates from 3 to 7 March. He added that during the visit to Kuwait, Mr. Lavrov will meet top Kuwaiti officials for bilateral talks that will include all issues of mutual interest within the regional and international arenas, including the situation in Syria and Yemen, the Palestinian issue and the Gulf crisis.
Highlighting the three-day Kuwait-Russian Joint Committee meeting for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, which will be held in conjunction with the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister to Kuwait, Ambassador Makarov said the committee will discuss cooperation between Russia and Kuwait in various fields and focus on how to move forward the bilateral relationship in existing and new areas, as well as review agreements previously signed.
For his part, Major General Al-Mazidi praised the Kuwait-Russian relations as distinguished and historical, and stated it was evidenced in the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Sochi in 2015 to hold official talks with President Vladimir Putin.
He also underscored the cooperation between armies of the two countries in various fields, the joint military exercises between the two nations, and the various agreements signed between Russia and Kuwait after conducting tests and experiments with Russian weaponry.
