German-Kuwaiti meeting on economy, trade cooperation held

The third German-Kuwaiti Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation meeting was held here Monday with the event focusing on further expanding bilateral ties. Head of the Kuwaiti delegation to the meeting Abdulaziz Al-Khaledi told KUNA that the meeting was held upon an invitation by German Ministry of Economy and Technology, adding that the meeting focused on furthering cooperation within the economic, industrial, environmental sectors and other domains. Both sides, said Al-Khaledi, focused on pursuing more commercial cooperation in the future by exchanging delegations and also the holding of exhibitions featuring products from both countries. He also noted that Germany and Kuwait were very keen on finalizing talks on the economic and commercial cooperation between the GCC and the EU, hoping that an agreement would be inked in the near future. The Kuwaiti delegation consisted of representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, in addition to the Commerce and Industry department, said Al-Khaledi, adding that personnel from the Public Authority for Industry, Kuwait Investment Authority, and others were amongst people participating in the dialogue. Bilateral political relations are good and friendly. Germany is highly regarded as an important political and economic force in Europe and as a country that has traditionally maintained good relations with the Arab world. This is evident by the numerous visits to Kuwait by leading German politicians in recent years. Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited Kuwait in September 2012. High points of diplomatic exchange also include the visit to Germany by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in April 2010 and the visit to Kuwait by Federal President Christian Wulff in February 2011 to attend celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of independence, the 20th anniversary of Liberation Day and the fifth anniversary of HH the Amirs rule. Federal President Wulff paid an official visit to Kuwait in December 2011. In 2007, the two countries signed an agreement on cooperation in security matters. In November 2008, the German-Kuwaiti Joint Commission on Economic, Trade and Technical Cooperation met for the first time in Berlin. The second meeting was held in Kuwait in December 2010.