KUWAIT, Feb 6 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's Cabinet has expressed sympathy and solidarity with the families of the victims of the devastating earthquake which hit Syria and Turkiye earlier Monday.
The Cabinet offered condolences to families of the victims and wished the injured quick recovery and the missing safe rescue, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Barrak Al-Shaitan at the Cabinet meeting at Seif Palace on Monday.
The Cabinet, headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, was also briefed about His Highness the Amir's instructions to launch airlift to transport urgent rescue and relief aid as well as medical teams to Turkiye.
Due to this emergency and upon directives from the state political leadership, the Cabinet ordered a private jet to be sent to the quake-hit areas in Turkiye to evacuate Kuwaitis there.
It also affirmed that the Kuwaiti consulates in Ankara and Istanbul are closely following up the situation and exerting all efforts to ensure the safe return of nationals to homeland.
The Cabinet also assigned the Ministry of Social Affairs to launch a donation campaign, in collaboration with charities, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, private sector, citizens and residents, to collect and send relief aid to the quake-affected people.
At the meeting onset, the Cabinet congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the recently held flag-hoisting ceremony which signals the start of national celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of the Independence Day and the 32nd anniversary of the Liberation Day.
On these dear occasions, the Cabinet congratulated His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the Kuwaiti people.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Interior Minister and Acting Defense Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah informed the Cabinet about the largest-ever seizure of illegally-obtained Lyrica (pregabalin) pills, some 15 million, and half a tonne of the drug in raw powder form in Kuwait.
The Cabinet thanked the Interior Ministry staff, particularly the General Department of Drugs Control for their efforts to seize the drugs and protect the society from this evil.
The Cabinet approved a draft decree of the bylaw of law No. 74 of 2020 on addressing the demographic imbalances in Kuwait and a draft statute on the mechanisms of addressing these imbalances.
The Interior Minister informed the cabinet about a plan for the nationalization (Kuwaitization) of jobs in cooperative societies to secure up to 3,000 jobs for nationals.
The Cabinet ordered the Minister of Social Affairs to coordinate with the Public Authority of Manpower and the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies to implement the plan.
The Cabinet agreed on two proposals from the Kuwait National Bank and the Kuwait Finance House to finance projects for overhauling and beautifying Kuwait city beaches.
In light of the government resignation, the Cabinet also instructed ministers to stop filling vacant leading and supervisory posts by any mean whether through appointment, promotion or transfer as well as stopping public servants transfer or extending of their transfer terms. (end) ibi