Your Excellency, H.E. Faisal Ghazi Almutairi,
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
It is indeed a pleasure for Miriam and me to be here with you today to celebrate the National Day of Kuwait.
I wish to begin by congratulating HE Faisal Ghazi Almutairi and thank him for inviting us all on this special occassion.
Throughout the years, our countries developed relations which go way beyond immediate self-interest and flourished into a strong bond between equal partners.
Our friendship is of a special and unique nature.
This is, in part, due to our historical cooperation, but also more recently, due to cooperation in innovative, up and coming sectors.
Looking back, diplomatic relations were established in 1972.
Even in those early years, Malta was already benefiting from the Kuwaiti Fund to help with it’s nascent infrastructure and revived agricultural industry.
In the 1990s Malta continued to collaborate closely with the Kuwaiti people.
The brave position taken by Malta at the United Nations during one of Kuwaiti’s darkest times, was instrumental to safeguard and promote, at an international level, the life and well-being of all Kuwaiti nationals.
This gesture has left an indelible positive mark in relations between our two countries.
Back in 2015, I had the pleasure to visit Kuwait and observe on a first hand basis the special bond that unites our two peoples.
In the years that followed, both countries explored new areas of cooperation and strengthened dialogue in a diversified range of fields.
One tangible example of ongoing cooperation is the setting up of a Malta-Kuwait Joint Commission intended to regularly set the plan for short, medium and long-term contacts in the fields of trade, investment, education, health and the digital sector.
With particular regard to health, I look very positively at the momentum gained through technical meetings on medical genetics, baronmedicine as well as on mental health.
Coming from the medical profession myself, I am pleased to note that a substantial number of Kuwaiti students travel to Malta and mostly enroll at the University of Malta for degrees related to medicine, dentistry, health as well as architecture.
Exchanges of this sort, built on people – especially our youth – should remain one of the pivotal components for fruitful and enduring bilateral relations.
At the same time, the areas of culture and education continue to present several promising avenues of cooperation with negotiations covering vocational training, sports, research and development.
It is my hope that progress will also be registered in ongoing contacts concerning civil protection and scientific research, to mention a few examples.
From the trade and commercial perspective, there is ample potential that could be tapped in financial services and cyber security, together with infrastructural development and climate neutrality through investment in renewable energy. I enourage entrepreneurs on both sides to take up these possibilities, also through visits and direct meetings with their counterparts.
Dear guests,
Whilst recognising the importance of maintaining close bilateral dialogue, values-based alliances at a regional and multi-lateral level are equally important.
Against a turbulent international backdrop – as we are witnessing daily in Ukraine and Gaza – it is imperative for like-minded partners like Malta and Kuwait to realise the huge potential of unity and cooperation.
From a regional perspective, enhanced and consolidated relations between the European Union and Kuwait is of great interest to Malta.
Malta highly values Kuwait’s role as a strategic regional partner to the EU, especially in light of our shared commitment to the promotion of security and stability in our shared neighbourhood. Kuwait is also an important ally of the EU when in comes to humanitarian aid, with intiatives being taken on the future of Syria and the reconstruction of Iraq.
I should also underline the importance which I attach to the contributions being made by Kuwait and Malta in the European Commission – League of Arab States Liaison Office (ECLASLO), hosted by Malta since 2009.
This is an excellent example of how two countries, with different charcteristics, but a shared vision, can contribute to promote inter-regional cooperation.
Moving on to the Gulf, I welcome Kuwait’s pivotal mediatory role taken along the years, to bridge differences between members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
This is a refreshing aspect of Kuwait’s diplomatic endeveours to bring about positive and long-term change in sensitive regional dynamics.
Such efforts also reflect Malta’s own long standing mission to help bridge relations between members of the European Union and our partners in the Gulf, in the interest of broader global stability.
I am also pleased to note that Kuwait is present on the Board of Governors of the International Institute of Justice and Rule of Law (IIJ). Kuwait’s participation is bringing added value to the IIJ’s work and efforts to counter-terrorism at a global and multi-dimensional level.
Your Excellency,
Ambassador Almutairi, as you can see, the list of activities and inititaives for you to follow up here in Malta is both an extensive and an engaging one.
I am sure that you will succeed in identifying more areas of cooperation, particularly to promote further dialogue and mutual understanding in our countries, but also across our regions.
Distinguished guests,
In conclusion, I now invite you all to raise your glasses and toast in celebration of the national day of the State of Kuwait and to the continued friendship between our peoples.
Thank you.