(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Ahead of the visit of His Highness the Prime Minister of Kuwait Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on October 20-21, France said it wants to further develop "deep partnership" it enjoys with Kuwait and it praised His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for "his major role" in promoting peace in the region.
His Highness the Prime Minister will lead a large delegation for talks at various levels in Paris Tuesday and Wednesday and he will meet with President Francois Hollande, Prime Minister Manuel Valls and senior members of the Cabinet, including Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.
"This visit will be an opportunity to strengthen even more our bilateral relations in the broad domains they cover," said Romain Nadal, Director of Communications-Press and Official Spokesman at the French Foreign Ministry.
In exclusive comments to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the senior French official praised the multiple and growing contacts between France and Kuwait and indicated that a number of accords would be concluded during the forthcoming visit.
"This year has been rich in exchanges at very high levels," Nadal remarked, noting that French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had been to Kuwait in January for "a much-remarked" visit and had clearly expressed the desire "to give more depth to the partnership between our two countries." In the past four years, there have been 13 Ministerial visits between France and Kuwait, going in both directions, and there have been a number of other high-level contacts in the parliamentary, finance and military areas since 2011.
France has long pointed to the "excellent political relations" that exist with Kuwait, but Paris also has noted in the past that economic ties were lagging and an effort should be made to boost the economic aspects of the partnership to the high level of constant political relations.
"The partnership is characterised today by the exceptional depth of our political contacts," the French official said, also noting the close cooperation in "the fight against terrorism and in exchanges between (the two) peoples, and in the area of trade." In an effort to bolster "human exchanges," he indicated that France was working to improve and speed up visa policies with many countries and that Kuwaitis can now get tourist visas within 48 hours through the French embassy in Kuwait.
France, Nadal said, is also very aware of the "flawless unity" of Kuwaiti society, especially in difficult times when there are parties seeking to create instability in the Middle East region.
He also praised the role played by Kuwait and his His Highness The Amir in seeking to mediate regional crises and in promoting humanitarian goals.
Kuwait has been active in trying to mediate disputes in the Gulf area and also His Highness the Amir has organised and sponsored Humanitarian Conferences to raise badly-needed funds for Syrian refugees and victims of that conflict, among other initiatives.
These efforts have been recognised and rewarded by UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon who last year bestowed the honorary title of "Humanitarian Leader" on His Highness the Amir and on Kuwait as "Humanitarian Center.
"Kuwait is a country that has known how to develop a policy of mediation in the region," Nadal said in his comments to KUNA.
"(His Highness) The Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah played a major role in crisis resolution within the GCC last year," he pointed out.
The French official also noted "the converging views" between France and Kuwait on ongoing regional crises, among them the problem of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
"Kuwait is a key player in the fight against Daesh (ISIL) and in the support for the Coalition," Nadal observed.
He also lauded Kuwait's ability to resist provocation and attempts to create instability through terrorist attacks, notably the terror attack against a mosque in Kuwait City last June, when 26 people were killed.
"Kuwait is a model of cohabitation between the unique communities of the region," he continued. "Daesh (ISIL) ... wanted to upset this balance but (His Highness) the Amir, just like Kuwaiti society, knew how to show flawless unity." Nadal said that during next week's visit by His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak, a number of agreements will be signed and given concrete form. These will include "public/private" investment projects targeting sectors of French industry and enterprises.
Meetings are also planned between the respective Chambers of Commerce and the French Business Federation (MEDEF).
France and Kuwait have solid and updated defence cooperation agreements dating from post-Iraq invasion period and there will also be defence component to the forthcoming visit.
In addition, "several cultural and scientific cooperation accords" are to be signed on October 21 after meetings with His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, the French spokesman revealed.
One of these agreements is to set up an office of the French Centre for Archaeology and Social Sciences (CEFAS) in Kuwait to assist with research projects locally, while other cooperation projects in the education, science, health and cultural areas are ongoing.
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