(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Undersecretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Khaled Suleiman Al-Jarallah lauded "the exemplary and steadily-growing ties" between Kuwait and Singapore.
"The leaders of both countries shared a sincere to strengthen cooperation in all fields over the last decades," he said in an address to a ceremony held by the Ministry Sunday night to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties.
Al-Jarallah warmly welcomed visiting Singaporean Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli and his accompanying delegation.
"Friendly Singapore is one of Kuwait's main economic partners; it is the fifth largest importer from Kuwait with imports amounting in value to USD 4.215 billion a year," he said.
"Kuwait is looking forward to a more active role by Singapore in the implementation of development projects since the Southeast Asian nation has a pioneering experiment in this regard," Al-Jarallah pointed out.
The visits to Singapore in 2004 by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as then prime minister, and in 2007 by the then prime minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah had great impacts on the bilateral ties, he went on.
He also highlighted the importance of exchanged visits between businesspeople and leaders of the chambers of commerce and industry of the two countries in promoting the business ties and joint ventures.
He noted that Kuwait Chamber Commerce Trade Industry (KCCI) will be holding a number of activities as of tomorrow Monday, including exhibitions and symposia, on the investment opportunities and the relevant agreements between the two countries.
He recalled Singapore's support to Kuwait against the Iraqi invasion in 1990 and at various international forums.
On his part, Zulkifli expressed joy for making his first official visit to Kuwait on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic ties.
"Political ties between our two countries are excellent. Our then president S. R. Nathan mad Singapore's first ever state visit to a Gulf country in 2008 when he visited Kuwait," the minister recalled.
"The warm relations between Singapore and Kuwait are underpinned by the common challenges we face as small states in the international system," Zulkifli said.
"We have a share belief in the importance of maintaining our dependence and sovereignty as small states. Hence, Singapore had strongly supported Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait in 1991 and continued to support Kuwait on important issues once the conflict was over.
"Singapore and Kuwait had cooperated and exchanged experiences in a wide range of areas. Our area where we have made much progress is in the public sector training.
"Earlier tonight, I witnessed a signing ceremony to renew the MoU on cooperation in capacity building between the Civil Service College of Singapore and the Civil Service Commission of Kuwait.
"A total of 30 public sector leaders in Kuwait have benefited from the Strategic Leadership Programme between 2010 and 2014 as a result of the previous iteration of this MoU," he went on.
On the trade exchanges, Zulkifli said Kuwait is Singapore's fourth largest
trading partner in the region with the bilateral trade growing to USD 3.36 billion in 2014.
"Even though we had made substantial progress in building our trade links, there is more we can do with the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Singapore (GSFTA) in September, 2013," he added.
Earlier today, Acting Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah received Zulkifli and his party to discuss the bilateral ties and issues of common concern.
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