State of Kuwait Ambassador to Belgium Jasem Al-Budaiwi on Sunday lauded the freshly concluded mission by Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly (parliament) Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem in Brussels, where he held a long chain of meetings with European parliamentarians for relieving Kuwaiti nationals of Schengen visa.

The parliament speaker’s visit, which was successful by all standards, came within framework of high-level coordination between the State of Kuwait and the European Union; a mission that would contribute to boosting the bilateral relations between the two sides, said Ambassador Al-Budaiwi, also the State of Kuwait envoy to the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in a statement to KUNA, shortly after Al-Ghanim concluded the mission.

Al-Ghanim had a series of meetings with members of the European Parliament and the house chairperson, Roberta Metsola. Simultaneously, Kuwaiti Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs and Youth Affairs Mohammad Al-Rajhi held talks with officials of the European Commission (EC).

Ambassador Al-Budaiwi has added that the Kuwaiti-European relations are strategic and significant due to the high level of coordination on many regional and international files and the mutual views’ harmony toward international principles and norms, namely the joint respect for these laws and advocacy of the rule of law world wise.

Elaborating, Al-Budaiwi has said that the Kuwaiti diplomats have been active in Brussels throughout this year since January, when Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Al-Nasser Al-Sabah met EU’s Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, responsible for the Schengen file.

Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmad had also taken part as a guest of honor at a business breakfast with EU member states’ foreign ministers, in response to an invitation by Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, in the Belgian capital.

In May, Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Majdi Al-Dhafiri held talks with EC Vice Chairperson and Commissioner for Promoting (our) European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas. The latter lauded the State of Kuwait’s support for the United Nations Charter and its clear stance in support for the existing international order that is based on principles that tackle global issues. Moreover, Schinas expressed satisfaction that the State of Kuwait was listed among the states that would be relieved of the Schengen visa.

This step came as the backdrop of the Europeans’ conviction, Shinas had noted, that Kuwait conducted crucial reforms, in addition to its explicit stand backing for the current international order, based upon rules and adherence to the UN charter.

Ambassador Al-Budaiwi stated that the meetings held by the (Kuwaiti) National Assembly speaker with the EC president and many EP members, who represent a bevy of political parties, focused on means of elevating the bilateral relations toward a host of issues, in addition to rallying support for the EC proposals to relieve the Kuwaiti citizens of the Schengen visa.

Furthermore, Ambassador Al-Budaiwi affirmed that the Kuwaiti parliament speaker Al-Ghanim and his accompanying MPs heard “excellent remarks” toward the State of Kuwait by the EP members, succeeded in winning their backing regarding the visa issue, adding that the Europeans heaped praise upon Kuwait’s foreign policy which they labelled as balanced and crucial in the region. He also noted that the European legislators lauded Kuwait for its stances regarding a host of global files, amid current escalation in some regions.

Elaborating, he added that the European side had also spoken positively of Kuwait’s democracy and the wide-scale reforms at various levels in the country.

Al-Budaiwi affirmed that the visit by the Kuwaiti parliamentarians and the assembly chairman coincided with “a government mission” on part of the Minister Al-Rajhi, who met Schinas and Johansson, relaying Kuwait’s gratitude for the EC officials for devoting prior attention to the visa topic.

Al-Rajhi’s visit, he concluded, constituted a chance for the EC officials to ask about certain relevant matters

Source: Kuwait News Agency