Ashton lauds Kuwait's balanced foreign policy

The European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, stressed Kuwait's significant role in promoting ties between Europe and the GCC region. "I very much look forward to discussing EU-Kuwait relations with the Kuwaiti leadership. Kuwait holds the rotating presidency of the GCC in 2014 and will play an important role in bolstering ties between our two regions," she said in an interview with KUNA in Brussels ahead of her visit to the Gulf region."We appreciate Kuwait's balanced foreign policy and I look forward to discussing pressing issues with my Kuwaiti counterparts. The EU and Kuwait want to see the Syrian Opposition Coalition be as representative as possible of democratic forces in Syria, and to dissuade people from giving their support to extremist groups," she said. "We also share the goal of a genuine transition in Syria through the (Geneva II) process. The role of Kuwait as a major Arab donor opens up many avenues for cooperation with the EU, which remains the largest global donor," noted the EU foreign policy chief. "On a number of other issues, such as trade facilitation, visa policy, energy, EU-Kuwait cooperation can complement EU-GCC relations for the benefit of both parties," she stressed. The EU is also pleased with the substantial recent progress in Iraq-Kuwaiti relations, which should allow a 'normalization' of their relations soon, she said. "Following the signature of the EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement in 2012, the EU intends to continue working closely with Kuwait to promote political stability in Iraq which is critical for the broader region," she stated.Ashton on Monday begins a tour of five of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. She had visited Bahrain last June to chair the EU-GCC ministerial meeting. She told KUNA that her visit to the Gulf comes at a time when the EU and GCC members increasingly need to coordinate their positions on a number of issues."We'll be discussing a number of regional issues: the continuing conflict in Syria and its effects on the broader region; the upcoming Geneva II conference; the discussions between Iran and the EU and E3+3 following the agreement reached in Geneva on November 24th on Iran's nuclear programme; and the political situation in Egypt," she said. She stressed that "More broadly, the EU and GCC states have a common interest in strengthening their ties in a range of fields, including trade, political and security issues, counter-terrorism, energy, and transport." She noted that the EU is the biggest donor to the Syrian people, with more than two billion euro in assistance to the Syrian people so far, including 1.5 billion euro in humanitarian aid. "We are calling for local ceasefires to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered," she said."The EU looks forward to the 2nd UN humanitarian Conference on Syria on January 15, and will be represented by Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. The EU plans to respond generously to the pledging effort at the conference, " said Ashton.Asked about role of Kuwait and in general of the GCC in resolving the Syrian crisis, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Palestine question, Ashton replied that the "EU regards Kuwait as an important partner on all these issues, since we share a number of positions." "The EU is fully supportive of the Arab Peace Initiative on the Middle East Peace Process and, like Kuwait, also supports the efforts undertaken by US Secretary of State Kerry to make progress in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations," she said.Ashton said that the international financial and political support for the Palestinian Authority and for President Abbas is very much needed in the current situation."The EU, as the major donor to the PA, and Kuwait as a major Arab donor, can have a crucial role to play in the event of a peace agreement," she said."On the Iranian nuclear issue, I am grateful to Kuwait for its continuous support to my efforts in the EU/E3+3 negotiations to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran so that it complies with its international obligations," said Ashton."On Syria, Kuwait has already demonstrated its commitment to assisting the Syrian people and as host to the upcoming 2nd UN conference will continue to play an important role. The EU and Kuwait also have a shared interest in tackling illicit private financial flows to radical groups within Syria," she added.