GENEVA, Oct 22: Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis announced on Tuesday his intention to make an official visit to the State of Kuwait at the end of this week to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Switzerland and Kuwait. In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the Swiss minister said that his visit will include a courtesy call to Sheikh Nasser Al-Sabah. It will include an official meeting with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya on October 24 to discuss regional developments and explore fields of cooperation, especially within the framework of the Global Alliance for the Missing. The statement added that the minister’s visit will conclude with the official inauguration of the new building of the Swiss Embassy in Kuwait.

According to the statement, this visit is part of a broader regional tour across the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula to strengthen bilateral ties explore new prospects for cooperation and exchange views on ongoing developments in the region. It added that the Swiss Foreign Minister will first visit the Jordanian capital, Amman on October 22 to meet with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi. Their talks are expected to focus on political and security developments in the region and on Jordan’s stabilizing role in the Middle East. Cassis will then travel to Baghdad at the invitation of Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for an official visit that will include a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister. Discussions will address bilateral relations, the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and Iraq’s growing role as a regional mediator. The statement also noted that the minister will officially reopen the Swiss Embassy in Baghdad, which has been closed for 33 years and will meet with several economic stakeholders, including representatives of Swiss companies operating in Iraq.(KUNA)