By NNN-KUNA
Sharm El-Sheikh : Saudi Prince Dr Turki bin Mohammed bin Saud al-Kabeer, the Under Secretary of the Foreign Ministry for multi-party relations, reiterated here on Saturday the importance of rapprochement between the Asian and Middle eastern countries in order to contribute in deepening cooperation ties at all levels.
His remarks came during activities of the Second Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED II) ministerial meeting, themed “Partnership in Action towards a Better Future,” which kicked off here with the participation of 48 states.
Prince Turki called for extending more cooperation for the sake of substantiating reciprocal confidence between countries of this region to in order to achieve a real partnership through more active mechanisms.
He said the Middle East and Asia were passing through political, economic and social changes that increase from time to time, expressing hope the conference would come out with tangible results to consolidate dialogue and cooperation between the two sides.
He added that economies of countries of the Middle East and Asia have been witnessing rapid levels of growth, paving the way for more cooperation between the two sides.
He warned that tension and instability in any of these two areas would have a negative impact, thus, leading to a diminished growth levels.
Kuwait’s delegation to the two-day meeting is headed by its Ambassador to Egypt Dr. Rasheed Al-Hamad.
Prince Turki asserted that the phenomenon of global terrorism is considered a a real threat source against all, saying that his country denounces all sorts of terrorism and that no single faith promotes terrorism.
For his part, State Minister for Foreign Affairs in the UAE Dr Anwar Qerqash said that the current political events in Asia and the Middle East have necessitated taking advantage of the positive aspects exuded these changes with minimizing dangers.
He added that the economic changes were seen visible in the rising oil prices and the plunging of the US dollar rate, saying that such changes have had a negative impact on the currencies that were pegged to the dollar. AMED was conceived by the former Prime Minister of Singapore (presently Senior Minister) Goh Chok Tong to foster dialogue and mutual understanding, as well as strengthen cooperation between Asia and the Middle East in different areas.
Singapore hosted the inaugural AMED in June 2005, themed “Common Interests and Common Challenges.”