Kuwait believes that it is imperative that Afghans get access to much needed aid as Kabul copes with a worsening humanitarian crisis, its foreign minister said yesterday. Leading Kuwait’s delegation to the Pakistan-hosted Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) talks on Afghanistan, Sheikh Dr Ahmad Al-Nasser Al-Sabah said the Islamic world is in the throes of a myriad of challenges, chief among them the “humanitarian crisis” unfolding in Afghanistan.

On the talks, the Kuwaiti top diplomat said it was tantamount to a “message of support” to Afghanistan, as some 23 million people stand on the precipice of starvation, he highlighted, in addition to more than a half million others displaced by the crisis. He reiterated his country’s stern rejection of “all forms of violence and terrorism,” saying the international community should never allow Afghanistan to turn into a “hotbed of extremism and terrorism,” adding that the talks should be a step towards bringing the aspirations of Afghans to fruition.

Kuwait has provided Afghanistan with aid worth $92 million, he said, saying his country will continue to “work diligently” with global aid bodies in order to ensure that Afghans ultimately get access to much needed assistance. Islamic countries are meeting in Pakistan for extraordinary talks as part of efforts to prevent the situation in neighboring Afghanistan to descend into further bedlam.

Bilateral relations

Meanwhile, Sheikh Dr Ahmad met yesterday with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi on the sidelines of the extraordinary session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM). During the meeting, both sides discussed bilateral relations between Kuwait and Jordan, and ways of enhancing them, in addition to the latest international and regional developments.

On Saturday, Kuwait’s Foreign Affairs held a session of bilateral talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad. The meeting dealt with the solid bilateral ties between both countries, as well as ways to enhance and develop the strategic partnership between them in various fields. Topics on the agenda of the OIC extraordinary session were also discussed by the two ministers.

Furthermore, Sheikh Dr Ahmad met on Saturday with the Secretary General of the OIC Hussein Taha. During the meeting, the two sides discussed means of boosting cooperation and coordination between Kuwait and the OIC, within the framework of the joint Islamic action. They also covered the topics listed on the agenda of the OIC Foreign Ministers’ Council session on situation in Afghanistan. The Kuwaiti minister also renewed congratulation to Taha on being OIC chief, wishing him every success in his mission to serve the OIC member states. —KUNA