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Spain praises Kuwait's humanitarian endeavors towards Syrian people

Manuel Gomez Acebo, Director of Africa, Arab Maghreb and Middle East Department at the Foreign Ministry
Manuel Gomez Acebo, Director of Africa, Arab Maghreb and Middle East Department at the Foreign Ministry

By Hanadi Watfa

MADRID, March 22 (KUNA) -- Spain has praised Kuwait's humanitarian endeavors at the international level in general and towards alleviating suffering of millions of Syrians in specific.
Kuwait is set to host the third International Pledging Conference for the Syrian people on March 31, after hosting the first and second meetings in 2013 and 2014, all aimed at helping some 12.5 million Syrian people who are either internally displaced or living in neighboring countries as refugees.
Kuwait's hosting of the third conference, also known as Kuwait III, "is a proof of its full commitment to its humanitarian values which are integral parts of its foreign policy," Manuel Gomez Acebo, Director of Africa, Arab Maghreb and Middle East Department at the Foreign Ministry, told KUNA.
Acebo said these endeavors led to the UN honoring of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as a "Humanitarian Leader," and Kuwait as a "Humanitarian Center." He said Kuwait showed leadership in humanitarian work worldwide, and added that Spain would participate in Kuwait III like it did in the first and second meetings.
Acebo, who said Spain and Kuwait were "allies," noted that Kuwait was the rotating president of the Arab League and has been playing a key role within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the region.
Acebo admired Kuwait's balanced foreign policy and the country policy, which has been always about moderation and attempting to address any conflict peacefully.
Kuwait hosted the first and second aid pledging conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014. The events successfully raised USD 3.9 billion in aid pledges, USD 1.5 billion in the first and USD 2.4 billion in the second.
Kuwait donated a total of USD 800 million in the two conferences, USD 300 million in the first and USD 500 in the second.
Kuwait III is set to host 78 countries and more than 40 international organizations. (end) hnd.bs