KUWAIT CITY, Oct 7: The delegation of Kuwait- Albania parliamentary friendship met Friday Besart Kadia, deputy minister of Europe and foreign affairs for economic diplomacy, in Tirana, the capital of Albania. During the meeting, head of the delegation MP Mohammad Al-Mutairi expressed hope that Albania, which is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, would back Kuwait’s stance on the convention on the regulation of maritime navigation in the Khor Abdullah, signed between Kuwait and Iraq in 2012. Iraq’s court has recently ruled that the convention is unconstitutional although the country’s parliament endorsed it.

The accord then was submitted to the UN. Kuwait always reiterates the respect of international commitments and the principles of good neighborliness, he said. He expressed hope that Albania would support Kuwait’s nomination for UN Human Rights Council membership from 2024-2026. Meanwhile, Kadia called for backing Albania’s nomination for the same post in October, referring to commercial and investment opportunities of his country in all domains, including tourism.

The delegation includes MPs Adel Al-Damghi, Osama Shahin, and Falah Al-Hajri. Charge de ‘affairs at Kuwait’s Embassy to Albania Ambassador Khaled Al-Shami and First Secretary Adnan Al-Ghonaim attended the meeting. The Kuwait-Albanian Parliamentary Friendship headed by Mohammad Al-Mutairi met on Thursday with the chairman and members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Albanian Parliament in the Albanian capital, Tirana. During the meeting, both sides assured the forte of bilateral relations, which have lasted for 55 years, as each parliament will continue to direct efforts for further cooperation in all fields.

Hopes
Al-Mutairi expressed his hopes for coopted support from Albania regarding the agreement on regulating the maritime navigation of Khor Abdullah, which was signed between Kuwait and Iraq in 2012 and has been recently overturned by the Iraqi Supreme Court, as Albania currently holds a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council. While also mentioned that he is anticipating support from friendly countries for Kuwait’s 2024 candidacy membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

Tourism cooperation was also discussed during the meeting, which was chaired by Albanian MP Blend Klosi, where he emphasized the opening of a direct flight line this summer between Kuwait and Albania to attract tourists was successful. Adding he is looking forward to next year’s tourism season, hoping Parliamentarians will seek to push for the cancellation of entry visas for Albanians visiting Kuwait, similar to his country’s decision in 2015 to exempt Kuwaiti citizens from entry visas. The Kuwaiti-Albanian friendship group delegation met on Thursday with the deputy speaker of the Albanian parliament Armonela Villa at the Albanian parliament building in the capital Tirana.

The two sides during the meeting affirmed the necessity of boosting bilateral relations between the two friendly countries in various sectors namely the parliamentary field as well as coordinating stands at international quarters. Villa expressed gratitude to the Kuwaiti government for the humanitarian aid particularly in the aftermath of the 2019 earthquake, singling out aid given by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development for renovating a key road, recently. The Kuwaiti side recalled Albania’s support for Kuwait during the flagrant Iraqi aggression in 1990 and indicated the need to broaden economic cooperation and facilitate procedures for Kuwaitis to acquire properties in Albania. (KUNA)