LOC17:02
14:02 GMT
TEHRAN, Nov 25 (KUNA) -- Establishing the Kuwait-Iran Friendship Association was a popular decades-long dream that has eventually come true, said Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati on Tuesday.
Addressing a dinner party held in honor of the Kuwaiti side in the Friendship Association in Tehran, Jannati added that he followed the formation of the popular alliance since he was the Islamic Republic ambassador to Kuwait.
He also emphasized the historical and cultural ties between the two countries as well as mutual interests, saying that Iran receives more than 100,000 Kuwaiti tourists annually.
For his part, Kuwaiti Ambassador in Tehran Majdi Al-Dhafiri said that far from politics and diplomacy, the popular move is likely to have a positive influence on the form and type of bilateral ties in all fields on the long run.
He added that the popular step is endorsed by the Kuwaiti political leadership, reflecting a desire to extend bridges of cooperation with the Iranian people, especially amid the current regional developments, which prompt "social, cultural elite to seek further (bilateral) cooperation."
Such popular and brotherly occasions are likely to consolidate ties between the two neighboring peoples, and develop a sense of confidence and quietude, head of the Kuwait-Iran Friendship Association Abdulrahman Al-Awadhi said.
Al-Awadhi added that they formed an Association committee from both sides and entrusted it with setting a work mechanism and identifying the goals of that social communication. (end)
fz.msa