Yesterday, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, in the presence of His Eminence, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State and of His Highness, Sheik Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Secretariat of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait concerning the conduct of bilateral consultations.
Signatories included: for the Secretariat of State, His Excellency, Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States; and for the Ministry of External Affairs of the State of Kuwait, His Excellency, Sheik Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs.
Also present for this solemn occasion were:
representing the Holy See: Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Under Secretary for Relations with States; His Excellency, Alberto Ortega Martín, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan; Monsignors Christophe El-Kassis, Michael F. Crotty and Mauricio Rueda Beltz, from the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State; and
representing the State of Kuwait: His Excellency, Mister Khalid Suliman Al-Jarallah, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Mister Alid Ali Al-Khobaizi, Deputy Assistant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Sheik Doctor Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Sheik Fahd Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Secretary for Economic Affairs, Security and the Petition Office of the President of the Council of Ministers; His Excellency, Mister Bader Saleh Al-Tunaib, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Holy See; His Excellency, Mister Ghanim Al-Ghanim, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for juridical affairs; His Excellency, Mister Ahmad Al-Mutairi, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Protocol in the Office of the Prime Minister; Mister Yousef Adnan Al-Rashed, an official from the Department of Protocol in the Office of the Prime Minister; and Mister Yousef Al-Ibrahim, an official from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The above-mentioned agreement further consolidates the existing bonds of collaboration between the Secretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, especially at political and cultural levels, in favour of peace, security and regional as well as international stability. In addition, it proposes instruments of consultation between the two parties.
The Memorandum entered into effect at the moment that it was signed by the two parties.
I warmly welcome Your Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, and the other esteemed members of the Kuwaiti delegation, to this signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait on conducting Bilateral Consultations which will be signed respectively by His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, for the Secretariat of State, and by His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait.
Today’s signing ceremony represents another milestone in the bilateral relations between the Holy See and Kuwait. In 1968, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See. However, our relations already existed before then through the benevolence of the founding father of the modern State of Kuwait, His Highness Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who provided a place of worship for the Catholic community in Kuwait, almost 50 years ago. Indeed, the Cathedral dedicated to the Holy Family, a familiar landmark to all who visit Kuwait, is a living symbol of the hospitality and welcome for which Kuwait is so well known, and a concrete sign of the historic relationship between the Holy See and Kuwait.
With the signing of today’s Memorandum of Understanding we mark a new milestone in that relationship. We join in the common desire of promoting the development of friendly relations and cooperation in the political, religious and cultural fields, convinced that regular bilateral consultations will contribute to the deepening of mutual understanding and will be an important instrument for developing further our relations and dialogue in every area and at different levels.
Pope Francis, in continuity with his predecessors, has spoken on several occasions of the importance of dialogue as an instrument of peace, which he has often described as the culture of encounter, and for this reason he promotes it as a necessary means for peace and reconciliation among peoples and nations. The mission of the Holy See is primarily religious in nature and thus it brings this specific dimension to its encounter with the International Community, reminding all that true religion is in the service of peace and that religious values underscore our common humanity.
The Secretariat of State, therefore, is pleased to sign today’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, convinced that it will prove to be a valuable instrument in promoting the culture of encounter desired by the Holy Father.
Let me conclude my remarks, by thanking His Highness once again for his visit here today to the Vatican. Your Highness, please convey my greetings and best wishes to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, assuring him of our friendship and commitment to good relations.
Your Excellency, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure, in my name and on behalf of members of the delegation, to express our sincere appreciation and deep gratitude for the great hospitality that we have witnessed since we came to this friendly country, and the positive atmosphere that prevailed in our meeting with His Holiness, Pope Francis.
I am also pleased to pay tribute to the cultural and humanitarian role played by His Holiness at the international level in order to achieve peace and tolerance between peoples and to achieve convergence between cultures and religions.
Taking pleasure today in celebrating the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between our two friendly countries we affirm the keenness of Kuwait and their sincere desire for further cooperation and coordination at all levels.
Once again thank you for the warm reception and the expressed desire to achieve excellence in the further development of our relationship.
Signatories included: for the Secretariat of State, His Excellency, Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States; and for the Ministry of External Affairs of the State of Kuwait, His Excellency, Sheik Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs.
Also present for this solemn occasion were:
representing the Holy See: Monsignor Antoine Camilleri, Under Secretary for Relations with States; His Excellency, Alberto Ortega Martín, Apostolic Nuncio to Jordan; Monsignors Christophe El-Kassis, Michael F. Crotty and Mauricio Rueda Beltz, from the Section for Relations with States of the Secretariat of State; and
representing the State of Kuwait: His Excellency, Mister Khalid Suliman Al-Jarallah, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Mister Alid Ali Al-Khobaizi, Deputy Assistant to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Sheik Doctor Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs; His Excellency, Sheik Fahd Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Secretary for Economic Affairs, Security and the Petition Office of the President of the Council of Ministers; His Excellency, Mister Bader Saleh Al-Tunaib, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to the Holy See; His Excellency, Mister Ghanim Al-Ghanim, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for juridical affairs; His Excellency, Mister Ahmad Al-Mutairi, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Protocol in the Office of the Prime Minister; Mister Yousef Adnan Al-Rashed, an official from the Department of Protocol in the Office of the Prime Minister; and Mister Yousef Al-Ibrahim, an official from the Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The above-mentioned agreement further consolidates the existing bonds of collaboration between the Secretary of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, especially at political and cultural levels, in favour of peace, security and regional as well as international stability. In addition, it proposes instruments of consultation between the two parties.
The Memorandum entered into effect at the moment that it was signed by the two parties.
Speech of His Eminence, Pietro Cardinal Parolin
Secretary of State of His Holiness
to the Kuwaiti delegation
I warmly welcome Your Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, and the other esteemed members of the Kuwaiti delegation, to this signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait on conducting Bilateral Consultations which will be signed respectively by His Excellency, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States, for the Secretariat of State, and by His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait.
Today’s signing ceremony represents another milestone in the bilateral relations between the Holy See and Kuwait. In 1968, Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with the Holy See. However, our relations already existed before then through the benevolence of the founding father of the modern State of Kuwait, His Highness Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, who provided a place of worship for the Catholic community in Kuwait, almost 50 years ago. Indeed, the Cathedral dedicated to the Holy Family, a familiar landmark to all who visit Kuwait, is a living symbol of the hospitality and welcome for which Kuwait is so well known, and a concrete sign of the historic relationship between the Holy See and Kuwait.
With the signing of today’s Memorandum of Understanding we mark a new milestone in that relationship. We join in the common desire of promoting the development of friendly relations and cooperation in the political, religious and cultural fields, convinced that regular bilateral consultations will contribute to the deepening of mutual understanding and will be an important instrument for developing further our relations and dialogue in every area and at different levels.
Pope Francis, in continuity with his predecessors, has spoken on several occasions of the importance of dialogue as an instrument of peace, which he has often described as the culture of encounter, and for this reason he promotes it as a necessary means for peace and reconciliation among peoples and nations. The mission of the Holy See is primarily religious in nature and thus it brings this specific dimension to its encounter with the International Community, reminding all that true religion is in the service of peace and that religious values underscore our common humanity.
The Secretariat of State, therefore, is pleased to sign today’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, convinced that it will prove to be a valuable instrument in promoting the culture of encounter desired by the Holy Father.
Let me conclude my remarks, by thanking His Highness once again for his visit here today to the Vatican. Your Highness, please convey my greetings and best wishes to His Highness the Amir of the State of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, assuring him of our friendship and commitment to good relations.
Speech of His Highness, Sheik Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah
Prime Minister of Kuwait
to the Delegation of the Holy See
Your Excellency, Cardinal Pietro Parolin,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is my pleasure, in my name and on behalf of members of the delegation, to express our sincere appreciation and deep gratitude for the great hospitality that we have witnessed since we came to this friendly country, and the positive atmosphere that prevailed in our meeting with His Holiness, Pope Francis.
I am also pleased to pay tribute to the cultural and humanitarian role played by His Holiness at the international level in order to achieve peace and tolerance between peoples and to achieve convergence between cultures and religions.
Taking pleasure today in celebrating the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between our two friendly countries we affirm the keenness of Kuwait and their sincere desire for further cooperation and coordination at all levels.
Once again thank you for the warm reception and the expressed desire to achieve excellence in the further development of our relationship.
No comments:
Post a Comment