VATICAN CITY, March 22, (KUNA): Kuwait’s Switzerland-based non-resident Ambassador to the Vatican delivered the greetings of HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Pope Francis I, who was recently elected as pontiff. Dr Suhail Shuhaibar had “delivered HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s warm and heartfelt wishes of success and prosperity in instilling justice between nations of the world and the respect of faiths to Pope Francis I,” he told KUNA.

After a meeting between the two, the ambassador said that the pope, for his part, expressed his gratitude and appreciation over the warm sentiments, in turn, wishing HH the Amir good health and prosperity — growth and development for his people. “HH the Amir’s visit to the Vatican in 2010 marked the boost of existing relations between both nations since 1969. Kuwait is the first country in the Gulf to have established diplomatic relations with the Vatican after which it hosted the Vatican’s first embassy in the region,” said the ambassador. “I myself, from the beginning, have sensed the appreciation expressed by the Vatican towards the important role and noble efforts carried out by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah in building bridges of cooperation and understanding between nations, and in tackling major challenges and supporting development efforts worldwide, especially in developing nations,” he added.

The Kuwaiti ambassador went on to note the special attention given by Pope Francis I to cooperating with the Muslim world — his desire to work collectively under the banner of mutual respect for the greater good of mankind and towards achieving fruitful cooperation in the dialogue between faiths. The Vatican sees Kuwait as a leading example due to its tradition and historic contributions to religious tolerance, stemming from the true Islamic principles of the country, where religions thrive side-by-side in an atmosphere of understanding and uninterrupted freedom, he said. Other recent high-level Kuwaiti visits to the Vatican included one made by HH the prime minister (at the time) Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in November, 2009, during which meetings were held with the former Pope Benedict XVI and his Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone.