Confidence-building by Iran urged - Kuwait seeks to attract more foreign investments

NEW YORK, Sept 26, (KUNA): Kuwait has called on Iran to take a number of bold confidence-building measures to help ease escalating tension in the Gulf region. “We reiterate our call on the Islamic Republic of Iran to take serious confidence-building measures to initiate a dialogue that is based on respect for sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, ease tension in the Gulf region, and maintain safety of navigation,” Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Kuwait’s Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said in his speech at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. He argued that such kind of measures would help create relations based on mutual respect and fruitful cooperation.

“This will embody the region states’ aspiration of stability and security to achieve prosperity and development for their peoples,” he said. Kuwait renewed its call for increasing international efforts to eliminate the scourge of terrorism, describing it as one of the gravest challenges to the world order. “There is no doubt that the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism is one of the most dangerous challenges facing the world order.”

Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak said in his speech. His Highness Sheikh Jaber reminded the world that the Middle East region had suffered most from the sabotage acts of terrorist organizations, especially the socalled Islamic State terrorist group, which put on a cloak of Islam to cover its destructive intentions. “This is a direct reason to call for intensifying efforts to counter this real danger in all its forms and manifestations, dry up its sources and funding and activate international and regional conventions on combating terrorism,” he said.

He regretted that this destructive threat of terrorism is snowballing in a number of states in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan. The prime minister, however, cited Iraq’s success in defeating the so-called Islamic State group as a good example of how collective action in dealing with this threat could have great results. In the case of Iraq, which suffered most from IS crimes, the great role of international community and its cooperation with the national government, had helped clear all the Iraqi territories from the IS terrorist entity, he argued.

Investments
His Highness the Prime Minister said that Kuwait is working to create an appropriate environment to allure varied investments all over the world. Addressing the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, His Highness the Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the development made over the last years, thanks to concerted efforts and a number of laws enacted by Kuwait.

He said Kuwait looks forward to getting improved international indicators, including the Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) which is issued annually by the World Bank. He noted that Kuwait has assumed its responsibility towards the 2030 sustainable development goals, indicating that the country proposed its first national plan for 2019 to achieve these goals. This was done during a high-level political forum, which reflected the determination of the political leadership topped with the directives of His Highness the Amir, the Premier told the attendees.

This aimed at bolstering international partnership and solidarity within the framework of policies made by the government in long-medium-and short terms to achieve the biggest gains of sustainable development and link them objectively to Kuwait’s 2035 vision and the 2030 goals of the sustainable development, he concluded. Sheikh Jaber Mubarak said the United Nations proved to be the ideal platform for managing disputes and addressing the various global challenges through dialogue.

Congratulating
Delivering Kuwait’s address to the 74th UN General Assembly, His Highness Sheikh Jaber started with congratulating Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, of Nigeria, on his assumption of the presidency of the current session of the UN General Assembly on Sept 17, 2019.

He wished Bande success in his mission, renewing Kuwait’s full support to his leadership of the General Assembly and appreciating the efforts made by his predecessor Maria Fernanda Espinosa, of Ecuador in this regard. His Highness Sheikh Jaber also spoke highly of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for his efforts in leading “this prestigious organization.”

“Over the last seven decades and more, the UN, as safe haven for dispute management, was able to tackle a lot of formidable challenges and chronic crises, prioritizing the logic of peaceful diplomatic dialogue to protect the next generations from the ordeals of conflicts and war,” he said.

“Since the beginning, the State of Kuwait has committed itself to a foreign policy based on peace and multilateral dialogue. “During its non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, Kuwait was able to engage and interact directly in addressing various global issues, whether chronic, regular or emergency issues.

“With its tenure nearing an end, Kuwait has become more convinced that multilateral dialogue is a crucial means of addressing the global challenges and that the UN provides the ideal venue for such dialogue,” His Highness Sheikh Jaber stressed. He renewed Kuwait’s commitment to the principles and objectives of the UN Charter and reiterated support for the UN in delivering its noble message for protecting the world peace and security. Representative of His Highness the Amir denounced the recent terrorist attacks on two oil facilities in Saudi Arabia as serious threat to the flow of energy supplies to the world market.

His Highness Sheikh Jaber said the Arabian Gulf region has undergone a chain of acts of terrorism and sabotage over the last year, which posed a serious threat to the freedom of navigation inside the region and beyond, and hampered the flow of energy supplies to the world. His Highness Sheikh Jaber cited as an example the terrorist attacks on two oil facilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Sept 14.

He renewed Kuwait’s condemnation of these terrorist attacks and reaffirmed full support to the measures the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia might take to protect its security and stability. He reiterated the call for the international community to shoulder its responsibilities for protection of free navigation in this region in keeping with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Sheikh Jaber Mubarak said humanitarian disaster in Syria, which entered its ninth year, is a reminder of the failure of the international community to reach a consensus on a possible solution. “The parties to this conflict also failed to negotiate a peaceful settlement to the protracted conflict,” Sheikh Jaber said.