KUWAIT CITY, May 21: “The relationship between France and Kuwait is excellent. We collaborate extensively in several fields,” says French Ambassador to Kuwait Olivier Gauvin.” Gauvin made the statement to journalists on the sidelines of a symposium he hosted at his residence entitled, “Artificial Intelligence: A Catalyst for Women’s Success.” He disclosed that “two days ago, we concluded a very successful archaeological mission, which reflects the strength of cooperation between the two countries in this area; apart from coordination in many other fields, such as education, Science, law and culture.”

On the defense and security cooperation with Kuwait, Gauvin affirmed, “We are fortunate to have a solid foundation which we could build on. Our countries stood side by side during the Liberation War, which created a very fertile ground for expanding cooperation in this area. Currently, we have a strong defense cooperation. For example, joint military exercises were conducted in Kuwait a few weeks ago, and there will be more. Kuwaiti forces are being sent for training in France, and some are learning French. There are also reciprocal visits.”

Asked if there are deals in the military field, he said, “There are no new deals or contracts in this area at the moment. A few years ago, a contract was signed to purchase 30 French Caracal helicopters, which are now in Kuwait. This was an important milestone in our bilateral military relations.”

Regarding his assessment of Kuwait’s role in supporting regional stability, he stressed that Kuwait plays a very positive role, and continues to do so; because it has adopted a position similar to that of France -- based on respect for international law, stability and dialogue, in addition to rejecting the use of force or the violation of humanitarian law. “France and Kuwait share common ground in the way we approach international relations,” he asserted.

About the lifting of sanctions on Syria, he disclosed that “since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, France has been focusing on the Syrian people, not the regime or the factions. Our concern has always been the people. From the beginning, the French President has been keen on supporting a peaceful and comprehensive political transition in Syria. He also expressed this when he invited the new Syrian leader to Paris two weeks ago. Our goal is to promote political dialogue and ensure that our priorities are taken into account by the Syrian leadership.”

Regarding visas, he affirmed that the French consulate is currently operating at full capacity in terms of issuing visas -- processing about 250 visas per day. “We have a small team, but everyone is working diligently to ease travel for Kuwaitis to France. The waiting time for an appointment is currently about a month. Despite our efforts, we cannot reduce the waiting period any further. However, the situation is better than it was in previous years, when the wait times were longer. Overall, the situation has improved this year, because Kuwaitis are now aware of the importance of early planning for visa applications.” He urged those wishing to travel to his country to plan, especially during this busy season. He stressed the need to book visa application appointments as soon as possible, as this will make the process easier for everyone. On the number of visas, he clarified there are no daily figures, but annual figures indicate that in 2024, 36,000 visas were issued, while in 2023, the number was about 42,000.”

On the trade and economic cooperation with Kuwait, Gauvin revealed, “We are working intensively with our Kuwaiti partners.” He said he was in Toulouse, France, last week with a Kuwaiti delegation to celebrate the delivery of the new Airbus A321 to Kuwait Airways, and that there will be more such cooperation in the future. He confirmed France’s commitment to promoting comprehensive and ethical technological cooperation, citing the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit held in Paris earlier this year. He praised the active participation of the Kuwaiti Minister of Communications and his accompanying delegation. He stated, “This participation reflects Kuwait’s commitment to strategic issues related to artificial intelligence and opens up prospects for strong cooperation between France and Kuwait in this field.”

By Fares Ghaleb
Al-Seyassah/Arab Times Staff