Speaker of Kuwait’s National Assembly Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, who concluded a visit to Iraq, affirmed that the Kuwaiti parliamentary delegation’s mission in the country had been blessed by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
His Highness the Amir has stood behind this mission due to his concern for Iraq and his conviction that this country’s stability is essential for regional stability, said Al-Ghanim during a news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Mohamad Al-Halbusi.
The parliament speaker affirmed Iraqi officials’ appreciation for the great role by His Highness the Amir in the region, namely his efforts for aiding liberated and stricken regions in Iraq and hosting of the international conference for its reconstruction. Al-Ghanim was speaking at the news conference late last night upon conclusion of his visit to the country – along with the accompanying delegation He described as candid and fruitful the talks he had held during the visit with the Iraqi president, parliament speaker and influential politicians.
“One of the facts I desire to affirm that this visit has been made possible with blessing and guidance by His Highness the Amir because of his concern for Iraq and his conviction that its stability is necessity for stability of the whole region and return of Iraq to the Arab fold is necessary for all peoples of the region,” he added. Elaborating, the speaker noted that the ranking figures he had met hailed the great role played by His Highness the Amir in the region.
“They all rejected the crime perpetrated by the buried Saddam Hussein against the Kuwaiti people and the genocides he had committed against the Iraqi people before the invasion of Kuwait.
“The Kuwaiti parliament speaker affirmed concern on part of the Iraqi president, the prime minister and the parliament speaker toward the cause of the Kuwaiti prisoners and missing citizens, noting that the Baghdad government set up an additional budget to cover costs of searching for “remains of the blessed Kuwaiti martyrs who had fallen during the aggression.”
Al-Ghanim said his talks with the Iraqi leaders dealt with a host of issues, namely necessity of reactivating the joint ministerial commission, which should “finalize the file of demarcating the marine borders,” finishing Khor (harbor) Abdullah and inking the planned free trade accord between Kuwait and Iraq.Following a recent visit to Iraq by the Kuwaiti minister of commerce, “serious steps had been taken within this framework and toward these objectives,” he continued.
As to strategic ventures planned by Kuwait in the north and on the islands, the speaker called for a strategic economic partnership between the two countries, along with creation of a free trade zone. Al-Ghanim added that the Kuwaiti delegation informed the Iraqi hosts that the Kuwaiti parliament would partake in a conference of chief lawmakers of Iraq’s neighboring countries, due in Baghdad very soon.Meanwhile, Al-Halbusi has affirmed that Iraq and Kuwait are capable of forming closer political and trade linksue to their historic, social and geographic roots.
The discussions with speaker Al-Ghanim dealt with joint cooperation and means to achieve stability in the region, generally, and Iraq, in particular. The two parties expressed their desire to be at a “point of convergence,” he said, not at a position of conflict and difference.
On the economic scale, Al-Halbusi said that the two sides looked forward to a partnership focused on harnessing their geographical location between the Gulf Arab region and Europe. They also look to ensure an appropriate business climate that encourages joint economic projects and trade.
He went on to praise Kuwait’s recent hosting of a global donor conference for the reconstruction of Islamic State-liberated Iraqi cities and the Gulf country’s humanitarian assistance and grants handed to displaced Iraqis and cities.
