RIYADH, June 12: The Arab League countries and the island nations of the Pacific are keen on bolstering ties on all levels and also are interested in resolving various challenges, said Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday. This came during Sheikh Salem speech to the second ministerial meeting for the Arab League countries and small developing Pacific nations held in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The meeting is presided over by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Palau Foreign Minister and the Pacific group’s coordinator Gustav Aitaro with the participation of Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul- Gheit and ministers of both blocs of member nations. During his speech to the meeting, Sheikh Salem affirmed his country’s eagerness to explore new ways to expand cooperation between Arab countries and their Pacific Island nations to achieve security and development for all.

He commended the previous meeting held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, in 2010, saying it laid the foundation stone to which this meeting was standing on. Reflecting Kuwait’s stance on important regional issues pertaining to the Middle East, Sheikh Salem expressed his country unwavering stance on the issue of Palestine, indicating that the world must find ways to prevent the Israeli aggressors from continuing their assault on the Palestinian people who are eager to establish an independent state with east Jerusalem as the capital. He also displayed Kuwait’s interest in resolving international crises whether in the Ukraine or the South China Sea. On the issue of nuclear proliferation, Sheikh Salem stressed that it was important to spread awareness on the issue to keep the world free of weapons of mass destruction.

Back to the relations between the Arab and Pacific regions, Sheikh Salem urged both blocs to boost numbers of commercial exchange via taking decisions during the current and future meetings. The meeting’s agenda would be focusing on developing ties with numerous domains in addition to finding solutions into matters hindering collaboration between the two blocs. Regional and international happenings were also highlighted during the session.

Meanhwile, Kuwait Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday met with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan on the sidelines of the second ministerial meeting for the Arab League countries and small developing Pacific nations held in the Saudi capital Riyadh. During the meeting, both sides discussed the strong bilateral ties between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, ways to enhance those ties and common efforts to strengthen international cooperation in the upcoming events, prioritizing the support for Saudi Arabia in Expo 2030 in Riyadh.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah headed Kuwait’s delegation participating in the 156th GCC foreign ministerial meeting, held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The meeting discussed supporting and strengthening the historical march of joint Gulf action in various fields. Mechanisms of developing various fields of cooperation between the Gulf States, friendly countries, and regional and international organizations were also touched on.(KUNA)