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KUWAIT-EU-DIPLOMACY
EU opens new mission in Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY, July 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The EU’s diplomatic chief Federica
Mogherini said Sunday the bloc is increasing its engagement in the Middle
East, as she opened a new mission in Kuwait City.
The office in Kuwait’s tallest skyscraper is the third such EU mission in
the Gulf, after Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
“This also sends a message to the whole region; the European Union is
increasing its presence and engagement in the Middle East,” Mogherini said at
the opening ceremony.
“What happens to the Gulf matters to Europe and what happens to Europe
matters to the Gulf,” she added.
The ceremony in the Al Hamra Tower, which is also home to the French
embassy, was attended by Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-
Sabah.
The opening, decided several months ago, comes amid a tense standoff
between the United States and Iran which has affected the Gulf.
“In a moment of regional and global tensions, Kuwait is a voice of wisdom
and force of peace and this is what made us natural partners,” Mogherini
said.
Kuwait has strong relations with Brussels and Washington and, unlike Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it maintains good ties with Tehran.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1746 hrs