Ambassador of Austria to Kuwait H.E. Sigurd Pacher held a reception to mark his country’s National Day. The event held at the ambassador’s residence on 30 October was attended by Assistant Foreign Minister for Europe Affairs, Ambassador H.E. Walid Al-Khubaizi, as the chief guest along with a large gathering of diplomats, top government officials and the Austrian community in Kuwait.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Pacher remarked that the relations between Austria and Kuwait are based on solid foundations of mutual trust and respect. He also lauded the visit by Chairman of Kuwaiti Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ali Al-Ghanim to Vienna, and added that he hoped the visit would intensify economic and trade relations between Austria and Kuwait.
On the issuance of visas to Kuwaitis, the Austrian Ambassador pointed out that the consular section issues about 10,000 visas annually. He added that many Kuwaitis also have long-term Schengen visas and up to 25,000 Kuwaitis are estimated to visit Austria annually. He also mentioned that issuing visas to Kuwaitis takes only three working days.
For his part, Ambassador Al-Khubaizi emphasized the strength of diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Austria, which began in 1965 and led to the opening of the Austrian Embassy in Kuwait in 1979 and the Kuwait embassy in Vienna in 1984. He pointed out that next year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of these relations. He also praised the visit by Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz to Kuwait last March.
Stating that Kuwait Investment Authority had invested over US$629 million in Austria, Ambassador Al-Khubaizi revealed that there would soon be visits by economic officials to work on the joint committee between the two countries.
