Kuwait's applies for IOM observer status

KUWAIT, July 31 (KUNA) -- Kuwait has applied for joining the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as an observer.
The Kuwaiti Permanent Representative to the European headquarters of the UN and international organizations in Geneva Ambassador Jamal Al-Ghunaim submitted the application.
The move was taken upon directives from First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, with a written message to the IOM's Director General William Lacy Swing, Al-Ghunaim said in a press release to KUNA Monday.
Al-Ghunaim reiterated Kuwait's keenness on further bolstering the existing partnership with the international humanitarian organizations including the IOM.
The Kuwait-IOM ties are more than quarter a century old, he said.
For his part, Swing welcomed Kuwait's move which, he said, demonstrates industrious endeavors to enhance the county's humanitarian role under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who was honored by the UN as a "Humanitarian Leader," according to the release.
He explained that joining the IOM as an observer will enable Kuwait to closely follow the IOM's activities, and will also deepen the strategic partnership between both sides, in addition to supporting the world's humanitarian goals. (end) asa.msa