Mr. Adel Mohammed A H Hayat

Message of His Excellency Mr. Adel Mohammed A H Hayat, Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in Bangladesh

ASSALAMU ALAIKUM WA RAHMATULLAH WA BARAKATUH.

Dear Friends,

As we step into the 57th Year of our glorious independence it is both a privilege and a pleasure for me to convey my fraternal greetings to the friendly people of Bangladesh. It is an auspicious moment in the annals of Kuwait's history to join the comity of nations through the annulment of the protectorate status in 1962.

I would like to pay special tribute to His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of the State of Kuwait as he steers and guides our beloved country and its people with pragmatism, sagacity and wisdom as we strive to attain socio-economic prosperity.

Indeed, Kuwait's march to progress despite the challenges it encounters both globally and regionally, is a testimony of the astute leadership in Kuwait as well as the resilience of the Kuwaiti populace. Indeed, modern Kuwait is the fruit of the enduring traits of its people, shaped by the confluence of the Arabian Gulf, the romanticism of the desert and the Almighty Allah's endowment of oil resources. This Kuwaiti characteristic is further molded by the strong religious faith and thus we take great pride in the traits of benevolence, empathy, goodwill and humanitarian feelings in the Kuwaitis. His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait has been in the forefront as a humanitarian practioner. As a true leader of his people, he led from the front in endeavoring to mitigate the sufferings of the poverty stricken people irrespective of place, creed, ethnicity and race. His magnanimity and generous patronage has touched the world and the United Nations have rightly honored him with the award of humanitarian leader.

The transition to modern Kuwaiti has its roots as much as in the deep foresight of the leadership as in the perseverance and industry of the endeavoring people. Our forefathers struggled against all adversities, travelled to distant continents and shores for trading. The frequent and intense interaction led to cultural enrichment, garnering of new ideas and accumulation of eclectic knowledge that have put Kuwait   in a good stead as it confronted the challenges of balancing socio-economic development with political aspirations of the people. The transition became all the more facile with the contributions of the young Western educated graduates in different sectors of Kuwait.

My Friends, today we honour and salute those sons of the Kuwaiti soil who have sacrificed themselves for a better, peaceful and prosperous Kuwait. Kuwait is rich not because of its oil resources but because of its enduring and enterprising people.

Dear Friends, as we reflect on our excellent relations with all countries irrespective of their status in terns of wealth, size and religious belief, I would like to recall the humanitarian role of the Kuwaiti NGOs and Charitable Organizations in the socio-economic welfare of the marginalized community in the world. Kuwait is an ardent exponent of people to people relationship and it is an integral practice of the Kuwaiti culture to share their wealth with the economically challenged people all around the world. Their conspicuous presence in Bangladesh can be seen in their noble and charitable activities of Kuwaiti NGOs in Bangladesh, especially in the infrastructural development and poverty alleviation of the rural Bangladesh. These NGOs have invested over US $ 600 million and are continuing their effort. I feel proud to see Kuwait as a partner in the development strides of Bangladesh. Kuwait Fund has provided over half a billion dollar as soft loans to Bangladesh to cover some key projects in key sectors of energy, communication, electrification, agriculture and poverty alleviation. 

Under the changed circumstances in a world fraught with conflicts, instability and environmental hazards, Kuwait believes that the pursuit of a vigorous socio-economic interaction and connectivity are strong confidence building measures scaffolding bridges of friendship and cooperation.

My Friends, our two countries have a big scope for availing the investment opportunities existing in Kuwait. My Government has liberalized the investment rules and regulations in Kuwait and opened new sectors for investment, making it the most investment friendly country. I see with great admiration the emergence of a strong and aggressive business community in Bangladesh. I call upon these enterprising business leaders to explore the growing market in Kuwait and in the Gulf region using Kuwait as the hub. In the context of expanding and strengthening this bridge of friendly cooperation and economic interaction between our two countries, I would be happy to facilitate the efforts of Bangladeshi entrepreneurs in investing in Kuwait. 

Friends, given the shared principles of friendship toward all and Malice toward none, Kuwait and Bangladesh have steadily moved forward toward realizing their common goal of promoting peace, tolerance and amity in the world as envisioned by His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, our sagacious Amir and the visionary leader of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. As a reflection of our common perception, both of our friendly countries stress passionately the upholding of the principles of respecting territorial integrity and sovereignty of all countries. This common pursuit has inspired our two countries to take a principled stand against terrorism and violent extremism. Just as Bangladesh pursues a proactive policy in strengthening regional cooperation, Kuwait too pursues a proactive foreign policy as a facilitator and promoter of peace, stability and friendship based on rationality and practicality, particularly in the Arabian Gulf region.

This close bond of friendly cooperation between our two countries have been shaped by the people to people contact and the frequent exchange of visits of leaders and officials of the two countries. I would like to recall here the valuable contribution of the Bangladeshi diaspora, numbering over 200,000 in Kuwait in the development of Kuwait. We have strong defence cooperation between our two countries that is growing steadily.

My Friends, Kuwait, and indeed the world, observes with great admiration the humanitarian stand of Bangladesh in coping with the mass exodus of persecuted Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar into Bangladesh. Despite its own constraints, Bangladesh opened its door of humanitarian sanctuary to the oppressed Rohingya community. Kuwait stands besides Bangladesh in this principled stand and hour of crisis and fully supports Bangladesh in all its endeavors to resolve the issue amicably.

Friends, while expressing my profound gratitude and appreciation to the friendly people of Bangladesh for the warm hospitality extended to me and my colleagues here, I look forward to the further consolidation of our deep rooted historical friendship.

Long live Kuwait-Bangladesh friendship.