(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah engaged in a flurry of diplomacy during, and on sideline of, UN General Assembly's (UNGA) 69th session.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled held some 15 meetings with foreign ministers from the Gulf, Arab, African, Asian and Western countries during his stay here, accompanying His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's representative, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The Kuwaiti top diplomat, whose country holds the rotating Presidencies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab League, met with foreign ministers of Iraq, Iran and Turkey, among the others, to discuss regional developments and other matters of mutual interest.
"We are keen on being in contact with these friendly countries at this time to explore ways of addressing regional conflicts and threats, as well as boosting bilateral relations," Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said in a statement to KUNA and Kuwait TV on Saturday.
Discussions also dealt with the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant (ISIL).
The UN Security Council (UNSC) held a special session, chaired by US President Barack Obama, and unanimously approved resolution 2178 that tightened the grip on foreign terrorist fighters joining ISIL and other Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in the region.
"The State of Kuwait sponsored this resolution because of its importance," noted Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled.
The 27-article resolution, sponsored by more than 100 countries and is under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, confronts movement and finance of foreign fighters, and urges countries to exchange information about them with the major aim of eliminating them.
"We in the State of Kuwait are keen to be part of the international community to fight this menace -," said the Kuwaiti top official.
"Kuwait is keen on prevailing of security in the Gulf region and our Arab area," he asserted.
Kuwait had to shoulder extra political burden because of its GCC and Arab League Presidencies, thus chaired several meetings in these two capacities.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled led the GCC side in ministerial strategic dialogue meetings with other countries and organizations.
"We met with the US, Russia and the European Union, we also met with India, China and (South) Korea - All of them represent great interests for the GCC countries," he said.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also led the Arab side in a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, UN Special Representative to Syria Staffan de Mistura and President of the Syrian national opposition council Hadi Bahra.
Kuwait is also president of the Arab-Africa summit that was held last November, and Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled briefed the African foreign ministers about Kuwait's USD two billion contributions to investment and infrastructure projects in Africa, in addition to the USD million award by the name of late Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sumait.
"We presented a detailed report about what we have achieved in the State of Kuwait in this period," he said.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also noted that Kuwait would host a ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference by the middle of next year.
The Kuwaiti foreign minister also attended a ministerial meeting of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) and followed-up on Kuwait's USD 300 million contribution to a fund it had announced for development in Asia through the Asia Development Bank (ADB).
His Highness the Amir announced during an ACD summit in Kuwait October 2012 a USD two billion fund for under-developed non-Arab nations of Asia to support small and medium-sized projects to be overseen by the ADB.
"We urged the countries to help Kuwait to join the ADB so it can follow up this fund. We also urged countries to contribute and thanked those who already contributed," said Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled.
His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak addressed the UNGA meeting last Thursday and highlighted Kuwait's commitment to the regional security and stability, as well as determination to fighting terrorism and extremism.
His Highness the Prime Minister met with the Presidents of Egypt and Iraq, as well as Prime Ministers of Iraq and Georgia.
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