Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Denzil Douglas strengthens ties with Kuwait to advance Sustainable Island State Vision

St Kitts and Nevis: Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Economic Development and Investment, Dr Denzil Douglas visited Kuwait for several high-level meetings as part of the government’s vision to build on their long-standing bilateral relationship by gaining support for its Sustainable Island State initiative.

Minister Douglas engaged in profitable meetings with the Kuwait Fund for Economic Development, whose main focus is providing concessional loans, where interest rates are lower than the market rate and the repayment period is longer. 

Ongoing development support from Kuwait

Through the Fund, the State of Kuwait has been a dependable development partner for St Kitts and Nevis for quite some time. Moreover, the Fund also provided support and development aid to the Federation through water supply development, airport rehabilitation, and port upgrades in Nevis.

Minister Douglas on the strategic visit 

“I am very encouraged by the invitation from the government of the State of Kuwait to undertake this visit,” stated Minister Douglas. He further added that this visit allowed them to take stock of, strengthen their bilateral relationship, and reprogram their partnership to fight the challenges. Moreover, these meetings also provided an important opportunity to update the Kuwait Fund and the Kuwait Investment Authority on their national priorities.

Notably, Foreign Minister Dr Douglas was accompanied by Dr Kevin Isaac, High Commissioner of St Kitts and Nevis in the United Kingdom. They had a working lunch with the Kuwaiti counterpart and discussed pathways for closer collaboration for Kuwait to support renewable energy development, especially in geothermal and solar energy, and investment toward sustainable water supply to enhance food security. 

Moreover, for the purpose of further deepening this important bilateral relationship, one of the proposals of the discussions was a mutual agreement for St Kitts and Nevis to open an official diplomatic mission in Kuwait City which is already host to some 133 countries. Both sides remembered the notable role Sir Kutayba Alghanim has had over many decades in fostering the partnership between St Kitts and Nevis and Kuwait.