ACD meet: PM reaches Kuwait to attend Asian summit

Amir of Kuwait personally arrives at airport to receive Ashraf.

KUWAIT CITY:

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf met the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, upon his arrival in the Arab kingdom on the eve of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit on Monday.

The Amir, accompanied by the crown prince Sheikh Nawaf al Ahmad al Sabah, reached the airport to personally greet the visiting prime minister in a special gesture of brotherly relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Ashraf conveyed the best wishes of President Asif Ali Zardari to Sheikh Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah and the people of Kuwait. On the occasion, the Amir said that the highest level of interaction among Asian countries will be critical in forging close cooperation among member states of the ACD. The Amir added that the prime minister’s participation in the dialogue would add value to deliberations during the summit.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Malik Amad Khan and other members of the Pakistan mission in Kuwait and the ACD delegation were present during the meeting.

This is prime minister’s first visit to Kuwait since assumption of office earlier this year. The invitation to participate in ACD summit by Kuwait’s government underscores the important role played by Pakistan in Asia.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to interact with Kuwaiti leadership and discuss ways to further strengthen political, cultural, economic relations and trade, which has crossed the $2.5 billion mark.

Earlier, Prime Minister Ashraf was accorded a warm welcome as he arrived on a three-day visit to attend the first ACD summit.

ACD was created in 2002 to promote Asian cooperation at a continental level and to help integrate separate regional cooperation organisations such as ASEAN, SAARC and GCC. The group currently comprises 31 states. 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2012.