UK ambassador to Kuwait H.E. Belinda Lewis held a reception to celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the British Embassy premises last week. The grand celebrations also marked the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
In a media interaction at the event, Ambassador Lewis elaborated on the Platinum jubilee celebrations, and her country’s robust relations with Kuwait in various spheres.
The ambassador began by explaining the significance of the platinum jubilee: “The platinum Jubilee is unique in British history, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the second is the first and the only monarch to reign for 70 years, and I think when you look back to some photographs that we are displaying at the party this evening, it reminds us of all the different changes that the UK has gone through, the different changes in society and changes in our place in the world over the past 70 years.
“However, the one thing that has always been solid and steady and long-standing is our friendship with Kuwait, one our oldest allies in the region, and it is really exciting looking forward to the next 70 years and beyond and all the different challenges and opportunities and ways that we can continue to work in partnership with each other.’
In a sign of the strong relations between the two countries, the guest of honor at the event was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. Expressing her appreciation at the attendance of Sheikh Talal at an event honoring Her Majesty the Queen, Ambassador Lewis said:
“It was a real pleasure to meet His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and to have him as our guest of honour. I really appreciate the minister taking the time despite his very busy schedule to come and join us this evening; it really put the icing on the cake.
“This is also an opportunity for us to celebrate the close ties that the UK and Kuwait enjoy in terms of defense, whether that is in defense education, the staff college in Kuwait, all of the defense service people from Kuwait who come to the UK to study, or the joint military exercises that we have, in addition to defence engagements and defence trade. Defense is a really important part of our relationship with Kuwait.”
Touching on the ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, the ambassador noted that it was very important that people remember as time goes on, the continued suffering as a result of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. She added, “It is also very important that we do not forget about the humanitarian impact of other conflicts that are still going on around the world. I mentioned Syria and Yemen and Afghanistan in my speech but there are many other communities right across the world who are impacted by war, by conflicts, and are caught up in issues that have nothing to do with them. I think the human cost of war is very hard to ever try and justify. But the important thing is to focus on a way out of, and beyond,conflict, and I do hope that looking to the future the talks in Turkey will produce some results.”
In conclusion, the ambassador wished Her Majesty the Queen a very happy birthday and added, “I think she has done a remarkable job. She has dedicated her whole life to serving her country and I think that this is a great opportunity just to take a moment to reflect and celebrate that lifetime of service.”
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