Italy-Kuwait partnership pivotal for Gulf security: FM

Islamabad: Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has affirmed significance of the strategic partnership with the State of Kuwait for it “plays a credible role” in ensuring security and stability of the Gulf and the Middle East.

Minister Tajani was speaking in an exclusive interview with KUNA on heels of his meeting with the visiting Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

On the six-decade diplomatic relations between Kuwait and Rome, Tajani said Kuwait is a strategic partner for Italy in the Middle East, indicating that one of the memoranda of understanding, inked during the current visit by the Kuwaiti foreign minister, aimed at holding deep and strategic dialogue between the two countries.

Tajani has affirmed that Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber’s visit to Italy aimed at boosting the bilateral relations at the political, economic, commercial, environmental, scientific and cultural levels.

“We also desire to broaden teaching the Italian language and cultural activities” in Kuwait, Tajani said, expressing readiness to host gifted Kuwaiti graduates at Italian universities.

On the Ukraine issue, Tajani said, “the Russian aggression (on Ukraine) constitutes a threat to the world stability and the international community must stand united for halting it and it is important the Arab nation act robustly for achieving just peace as soon as possible.” “We hope that Kuwait that has taken a constructive stand at the United Nations toward this cause, along with other Gulf States, send a clear message of peace to Moscow to nudge President (Vladimir) Putin to stop the military operations and sit at the negotiating table,” Tajani added.

“Italy in general views the Gulf region with renewed interest and is I aware that it can count on friendship of the key players such as Kuwait, for we are confident that your country can play a crucial role for ensuring the greatest possible stability and security in the region,” the Italian deputy prime minister and foreign minister said, On the mutual cooperation, Tajani said there are enormous potentials for building a solid economic partnership between Italy and Kuwait, noting that trade exchanges between the two countries grew, in 2022, by more than 53 percent. Moreover, Italy is the number-one exporting country to Kuwait, he added.

Noting that a number of Italian companies have been operating in several key sectors in Kuwait, he affirmed that Kuwait 2035 development strategy provides more opportunities for the Italian investors.