Kuwait National Day celebrated on grand scale

The deep-rooted relations between Qatar and Kuwait were highlighted yesterday at an event held in Doha to celebrate the 57th anniversary of Kuwait’s National Day and 27th anniversary of the Liberation Day. The reception was hosted by the Kuwaiti embassy in Qatar and attended by Qatari ministers, dignitaries, senior officials, businesspersons and diplomats from various missions in the country.
The event was attended by HE the Speaker of the Advisory Council Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid al-Mahmoud, HE the Minister of Economy and Commerce Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani, HE the Minister of Development Planning and Statistics Dr Saleh Mohamed Salem al-Nabit, HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi, HE the Minister of Municipality and Environment Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Rumaihi, HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi, HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani, HE the Minister of State Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, HE the Director-General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ chief of protocol Ibrahim Yousif Abdullah Fakhro and other dignitaries.
The celebrations were led by Kuwait’s ambassador, Hafiz Mohamed al-Ajmi. HE al-Muraikhi said the occasion was a special and dear one to the Qatari government and people, stressing that participation in the event was the least that could be done for the friendly people of Kuwait. He also said the people of Qatar were happy for Kuwait and considered its National Day as their own due to the special relations between the two countries.
Further, he stressed that Qatar has no problem with any GCC, Arab or Islamic country and wished all of them the best and would like to have good relations with all nations around the world.
“We always support Kuwait for the good of the people in Kuwait. We are open to everybody; if others have a problem with us, it is up to them ... but everybody — the Saudis, Emiratis and all Arabs — are welcome in Qatar. We only work for the good of all and hope that the future generations enjoy better relations among themselves,” he stressed on the sidelines of the event.
Similarly, HE al-Mahmoud praised the humanitarian efforts of the emir of Kuwait, stressing that he was rightly called “the Emir of humanity”. He noted that the Kuwaiti emir’s efforts to resolve the GCC crisis and other issues are highly appreciated by Qatar.
“We came today to say to our people in Kuwait that we are celebrating with you, we love you and we highly value you. We wish them all the best,” he said.
Ambassador al-Ajmi, along with a good number of senior Kuwaiti officials, welcomed the guests and praised the “excellent and deep-rooted” Qatari-Kuwaiti ties.  Many Qatari guests performed the sword dance on the occasion, which was marked by a joyous atmosphere.
There was also an exhibition of periodicals, magazines and books regularly published in Kuwait as part of its efforts to promote Arabic culture. The exhibition was launched by the Kuwaiti ambassador alongside senior Qatari dignitaries, and guests were able to pick up their free copies.   
Ahead of the event, the Kuwaiti ambassador spoke to the local media and stressed that Qatar and Kuwait have enjoyed deep relations for long, even before the establishment of official diplomatic ties in the ’70s.
He said that the two countries have joint families, traditions and a history that goes beyond geographical borders. Regarding the current Gulf crisis, he reiterated the words of the emir of Kuwait warning against the collapse of the GCC due to such a crisis, and noted that serious work should be done to protect the council as a stronghold of the Arab world.
Al-Ajmi also said Qatar and Kuwait enjoy significant military co-operation as 31 Kuwaiti officers and warrant officers have got training in Qatar and there are 85 student officers at the Mohamed bin Ahmed Military College. Also, joint military exercises between the forces of the two countries are held.
Regarding joint Qatari-Kuwaiti investments, he said these exceeded $7bn in both the public and the private sectors. In addition, there are an increasing number of exchange of visits between the business communities of the two friendly countries.