COLOMBO, June 4 (KUNA) -- In addition to helping further relations between Kuwait and Sri Lanka, the visit by Deputy National Assembly Speaker MP Mubarak Al-Khurainij and an accompanying delegation yielded positive developments on many fronts, MPs told KUNA, Wednesday, during their visit.
Al-Khurainij and delegation members met with Sri Lankan Deputy Parliament Speaker Chandima Weerakkody, Minister of External Affairs Gamini Lakshman Peiris, and Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera.
MP Saleh Ashour expressed confidence the talks and meetings would result in a real boost to cooperation and interaction in both direction in the near future, while MP Hamdan Al-Azmi noted the talks were conducted within an atmosphere of transparency and revealed agreement on an array of regional and international dossiers of interest to the two friendly nations.
MP Majid Moussa for his part remarked that exchange of visits by officials of both countries play a great role in furthering cooperation, stressing the two nations already have distinguished relations with a sizable Sri Lankan community in Kuwait.
Fellow lawmaker Mohammad Al-Hadiya meanwhile praised the warm hospitality of the Sri Lankan officials and also expressed gratitude for the good planning and cooperation of the Kuwaiti Embassy with the delegation. "We hope to see further cooperation after this visit, most particularly in the field of parliamentary action," he noted.
MP Mohammad Al-Huwailah noted such visits are of great importance to coordination between the two countries, and added the issue of Sri Lankan labor in Kuwait and difficulties they face was among topics discussed with senior officials during the visit.
Most specifically, the delegation and Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare Dilan Perera discussed the delay in results of health-checks for would-be domestic helpers seeking work in Kuwait, as well as the great disparity in payment sought for domestic helpers in Kuwait and in other Gulf countries. "The minister gave a promise to work on these issues." Still on domestic helpers, the MP stressed the importance of providing workers with appropriate training and orientation, and of closer and constant coordination between the Kuwaiti Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor and the Foreign Employment Promotion Ministry of Sri Lanka.(end) sss.wsa