The Cabinet held its weekly meeting Monday afternoon at Seif Palace under the chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled.
During the meeting HH the Prime Minister briefed the Council of Ministers on the outcome of his participation in the Baghdad Summit for Cooperation and Partnership that was held last Saturday.
He said the final communique issued by the summit stressed on the need to unify regional and international efforts for the stability and security of the region.
He disclosed the participants in the summit renewed their support for the efforts of the Iraqi government in strengthening state institutions and holding elections that represent the Iraqi people, and to help the region face common challenges on the basis of common security and mutual interests.
His Highness also briefed the Council on the content of the meetings and talks he held on the sidelines of the summit with the heads of participating delegations, during which bilateral relations and other issues of common interest were reviewed.
On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Hamad Al-Ali gave details of the Katyusha missile which fell near the international common border with Iraq, which did not result in any human or material damage.
He said according to the Iraqi authorities this type of projectiles are used by parties which the Iraqis termed “outside the control of the state and official bodies in Iraq”, noting that there is coordination and cooperation with the Iraqi government forces to ensure stability and security of the border area, stressing that the situation in the northern border region is stable.
The Cabinet then listened to an explanation given by the Minister of Health, Sheikh Dr. Basil Al-Sabah on the latest developments in the epidemiological situation in the country, which is witnessing a significant improvement at the level of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
He gave the details of the positive indicators in Kuwait complete with statistics and figures that reflect the decrease in the number of infections and deaths and those receiving treatment in Covid wards and intensive care units.
He deliberated on the percentage of citizens and expatriates who have received the vaccine, which confirms the success of the vaccination campaign in the country.
The Cabinet said it feels deeply reassured about these positive indicators and showed its optimism in achieving community immunity and returning life to normal in Kuwait in the near future, reiterating its call to citizens and residents to adhere to health requirements to help contain this epidemic.
An informed source told Al-Rai that the Council of Ministers agreed, in its meeting today, to increase the capacity of passengers on incoming flights to Kuwait to 10,000 per day, at the request of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, in the face of permission granted to India, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal to operate direct flights which were banned following the outbreak of the pandemic.
On the other hand, the Council of Ministers discussed the recommendation of the Economic Affairs Committee regarding the fifteenth periodic report of the Standing Committee to improve the business environment and enhance competitiveness, which includes developments and procedures related to the work of the Committee, and the Council of Ministers praised the efforts made by the Standing Committee headed by the Direct Investment Promotion Authority to coordinate government and private efforts and measures taken to improve the business environment.
The Cabinet also discussed the committee’s recommendation regarding the paper submitted by the Central Bank of Kuwait on “the indicator of economic recovery following the effects of the Corona virus pandemic – which included an analysis and comparison of the components of the recovery of the Kuwaiti economy in light of structural imbalances.”
The Board reviewed the committee’s recommendations regarding the tenth annual report on the work, activities and achievements of the Capital Markets Authority for fiscal 2020/2021, as well as the first annual report on the work, activities and achievements of the Insurance Regulatory Unit for the fiscal 2020/2021.
Then the Cabinet discussed political affairs in light of the latest developments and current developments on the political scene at the Arab and international levels.
The Cabinet expressed Kuwait’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the missile attack launched by the terrorist Houthi militia, which targeted the Al-Anad military base in Lahj Governorate in the Republic of Yemen yesterday, Sunday, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of soldiers and others, and categorically rejected these criminal acts.
The Cabinet also expressed Kuwait’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombings that targeted Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, which resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries, stressing the State of Kuwait’s principled and firm stance rejecting all forms of violence and terrorism.
Then the Cabinet followed up deep regret the devastating effects of the hurricane that struck the US state of Louisiana and its neighboring regions, and expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to US President Joe Biden.