Sheikha Latifa meets with Azeri minister

Chairperson of the Women's Affairs Committee at the Kuwaiti Cabinet Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah has held talks with Azeri Minister of Family Affairs Hijran Huseynova on cementing mutual cooperation between Kuwait and Azerbaijan. Sheikha Latifa, also the head of the Kuwaiti delegation to the 58th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), agreed with the Azeri minister on sidelines of the meetings to coordinate stances at international forums and quarters for service of interests of women in the two friendly countries. The discussions, held late on Saturday, focused on re-activating a Kuwaiti-Azeri cooperation memorandum of understanding and ways of strengthening mutual cooperation between the two countries in women sectors. For her part, the Azeri minister, during the meeting, invited Kuwaiti businesswomen to take part in an international convention, due in Baku next month. In a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) and Kuwaiti Television after the meeting, Badria Al-Khaldi, the Ministry of Education coordinator in the women affairs committee, stated that the two sides raised various issues of joint concern during the meeting. Diverse issues were brought up, she said, namely activation of the agreement concerning women, boosting the two countries' programs for woman and child care, Kuwait's participation in conferences held in Azerbaijan, issues related to training courses and exhibitions as well as different other women topics. Also in a statement to KUNA and Kuwait TV, Minister Huseynova, Chair of the State Committee of Family, women and Children's Affairs in Azerbaijan, said "I am very happy because it is a good opportunity for us to have a meeting with our good friend Sheikha Latifa who is famous, not only in Kuwait and the Arab countries, but also among women around the world." She added that Sheikha Latifa's participation in the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held March 10-21, is "for us a good opportunity to meet and to chart our countries' future cooperation" on women issues, especially that both countries have "good relations" and have signed a "special" memorandum on women, family and children issues. She added that women in both countries face similar problems and "it is big help" that they benefit from each other's experience, especially Kuwaiti women who have a "long experience in business," contrary to Azerbaijan where the private sector is only 20 years old and closed to women. "But now, it is a very interesting time. We see big growth in this area," she said, adding that "if we continue our cooperation, it will be a good example for many countries to benefit from our experience and friendly relationship." Source: KUNA