By Miyoko Ishigami
TOKYO, April 23 (KUNA) -- Kuwait and Japan on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the close collaboration in the water sector on the sidelines of the visit to Japan by Kuwaiti Minister of Oil, Electricity and Water Dr. Khaled Al-Fadhel.
The MoU was signed by Humoud Al-Roudhan, Assistant Undersecretary for Water Projects of Kuwait's Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) and Seiji Hirota, Representative Executive Director of the Japanese Cooperation Center for the Middle East (JCCME).
Under the agreement, the MEW and the JCCME will strengthen and expand their mutual cooperative relationship in order to allow Japan's advanced technologies and know-how to contribute to the promotion of sustainable development of the water and electricity sector in Kuwait. The agreement is also designed to promote human resources development in Kuwait by organizing necessary training programs in Kuwait or Japan, including visits to the sites in Japan, where advanced technologies, potentially applicable to Kuwait, have been employed.
Meanwhile, during a meeting of senior officials from the MEW and the JCCME earlier in the day, the Japanese side expressed keenness to provide continuous support and cooperation for the MEW through various training programs, proposing those in such areas of desalination technology, water reuse and water networks and management, in addition to crisis and risk management.
Al-Roudhan said that Kuwait has many experiences with Japanese firms in cooperation in the field of water, expressing hope that the two sides will step up their collaboration in the development of human resources and other areas in Kuwait by utilizing Japanese technologies.
Established in 1973 under the sponsorship of the Japanese government, the JCCME has long played a bridging role between Japan and countries in the Middle East and the North Africa region on the private-sector level by providing cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, economy and technology. It also organizes the annual Japan-Kuwait Businessmen Committee since 1995 for the development of bilateral commercial relations. (end) mk.hb