LOC19:30
16:30 GMT
WASHINGTON, Oct 21 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah stressed on Friday that the similar views between the State of Kuwait and the US on different issues would further promote bilateral relations.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled made the statement during the first round of the Kuwait-US Strategic Dialogue held in Washington today, adding that there are huge areas of agreement between the two countries.
"Thus, out of distinguished relations, we are looking forward to boosting the strategic partnership and coalition on different levels. We will work to build solid bridges to promote the joint action in all fields that have positive impacts on the two countries and their people," Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said.
He boasted that his country has been deemed a non-NATO strategic ally of the US since 2004, reflecting anew Washington's commitment to Kuwait's security and stability.
At the beginning of this year, His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah exchanged messages with US President Barack Obama on how to boost bilateral relations in all areas, he recalled.
The first round of the dialogue comes to complete efforts to push forward joint cooperation for the upcoming 25 years, and to further promote bilateral historical and strategic ties to serve mutual interests, he said.
Although Kuwaiti-US ties were established a century ago, people-to-people ties date back to a century earlier, he said, adding that US companies began exploring for oil in Kuwait in 1936 and founded the fruitful cooperation in this vital sector.
He recalled that the first Kuwaiti citizen travelled to the US for studying in 1946, and in 1980 the US voyager A. Locher visited Kuwait and wrote about the simplicity of Kuwait's people and the wisdom of its leader.
The Kuwaiti minister noted that both countries have different partnership relations in the areas of security, defense, culture, education, health, investment, energy and tourism.
The US is the key favorite destination for Kuwaiti students and researchers, he said, noting that there are about 13,000 Kuwaitis studying at US universities.
On health level, up to 3,000 Kuwaitis are receiving treatment and medical care at US hospitals and Kuwait spends annually about USD one billion for this purpose, he pointed out.
Investments of the country's sovereign fund in some major companies in the US hit up to USD 305 billion, making up 54 percent of the fund's total investments, he mentioned.
Investment in the US market rose by 700 percent over the last ten years and there is a plan to increase the US direct investment in Kuwait, he said.
Two-way trade exchange over the last five years reached up to USD 68 billion, he said, he noted.
Kuwait provided US companies with 10 million metric tons of crude oil in 2005 and EQUATE is planning to establish an ethylene glycol factory in the US state of Texas with a capacity of 750,000 metric tons annually.
On security, he said: "We have several issues of mutual interests which state agencies in both countries work together in order to address through direct communication channels, especially in the fight against terrorism, exchange of information, combatting financing of terrorism and border control."
He hoped that both countries could broaden the scope of their security cooperation involving other security issues to be agreed by both sides in order to serve the common goal of controlling frontiers and fighting all types of crimes.
Regarding military relations, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said: "We have the defense cooperation agreement signed in September 1991, which produced a number of committees, including the joint military committee that convenes regularly. We also have a number of military memos of understanding in various areas. For instance, Kuwait has been hosting US forces since the liberation (of Kuwait) in 1991, estimated at around 12,000 soldiers."
Kuwait's military purchase since the liberation of Kuwait has exceeded USD 25 billion, he said, adding that his country is even having negotiations over USD-11-billion deals, and that more transactions valued at USD 10 billion would be announced in the next 10 years.
In this regard, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled wished that an F-18 deal would be concluded soon.
He expressed gratitude to US Secretary of State John Kerry for launching the strategic dialogue between the two friendly countries, despite accelerated events that created a "critical" situation in the region.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also voiced appreciation to the US Embassy in Kuwait over proper preparations for this round, hoping that all working groups would make tangible results that lead to a further promotion of bilateral relations and partnership over the upcoming decades.
He concluded by looking forward to the next round of the Kuwait-US Strategic Dialogue due in Kuwait next year in order to prop up strategic partnership between both friendly nations. (end)
sd.hm.mt