Kuwait minister of commerce attends Armenia national day celebration

Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh on Sunday evening represented the Kuwaiti government at the celebration of Armenia Embassy to mark the country's 22nd National Day, highlighting development of bilateral ties and cooperation. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the celebration, Al-Saleh said his ministry developed plans to ward off any spillover of possible regional economic problems on the citizens and expatriates in Kuwait. "The government offers subsidy to staples for citizens but in case of any eventuality the government will be responsible for ensuring the minimum needs of both citizens and expatriates alike," he made clear. The minister was commenting on recent press reports that the government mulls issuing ration cards for non-Kuwaitis. Asked about the reported contamination of vegetables and fruits in Syria, the Minister said: "Kuwait Municipality's committee on food safety and the Environment Public Authority work closely to implement the ban on food imports from Syria." On the bilateral ties with Armena, Al-Saleh said the two countries maintain constantly growing relations in such areas as economy and commerce. The trade exchanges grew slightly in the farm and food sectors in the recent years, he noted. On his part, Armenia Ambassador to Kuwait Fadey Charchoghlyan commended Kuwait's "limitless relief effort" for the Syrian refugees in his country. The State of Kuwait was one of the first countries which responded promptly to the humanitarian needs of the Syrian refugees in Armenia, he said. The Armenian-Kuwaiti ties are growing steadily in all political, economic, cultural, social, commercial and educational fields thanks to the supports of leaders of both countries, he pointed out. Charchoghlyan noted that the exchanged visits on all levels help promote the bilateral ties. He appreciated the roles of Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) in promoting the joint investments. He voiced hope for signing an agreement with Kuwait on educational cooperation, and academic and student exchanges, noting that Yerevan University launched a college for Arabic teaching and Islamic sciences. The Armenian diplomat also expressed hope for pushing the level of relations of his country with GCC and other Arab countries to the level of the relations with Kuwait. Armenia has a 6,000-strong community in Kuwait who enjoy security and welfare, he added.