Defence Secretary reaffirms strong ties with Kuwait
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has reaffirmed the UK’s Defence relationship with Kuwait during a visit to the Gulf country.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. Crown Copyright.
As part of the visit Mr Fallon met with Minister of Interior His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to underline the important Defence ties, and to discuss shared interests.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said:
The UK has a strong defence relationship with Kuwait and we will continue to stand together in the fight against terrorism and to promote opportunity. We are working on future defence co-operation to deepen our links.
The UK’s Defence relationship with Kuwait is built on decades of friendship, and the UK is committed to working with allies in the Gulf region to ensure peace and stability.
In addition to supporting the counter-Daesh coalition, the partnership with Kuwait includes joint exercising and training packages delivered to Kuwait’s military institutions and Armed Forces.
Last year at the invitation of Kuwait MOD, command personnel from 51 Brigade participated in the US-led multinational exercise Eagle Resolve 15, designed to simulate the combined defence of Kuwait. Due to its success and the strong Defence relationship with Kuwait, personnel from 51 Brigade have been invited to participate in this exercise again next year. Additionally, the Army has accepted an invitation for 2nd Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment to conduct a Land Overseas Training Exercise with Kuwait Land Forces next year to rehearse joint operational planning and deployment.
For many years the UK has continued to advise and develop Kuwait’s Armed Forces through a team of embedded UK officers under the British Military Mission in Kuwait, carrying out a number of supporting roles across Kuwait’s military institutions.
2016 marks several anniversaries for Kuwait: 55 years of independence, 25 years since the Gulf invasion and liberation from Saddam Hussein’s forces, and 10 years of the Emir’s accession as ruler of Kuwait.
Mr Fallon said:
We welcome Kuwait’s leading role in promoting regional security, not only by backing the international coalition against those who would spread violence and fear, but also in bringing the conflicting sides together in Yemen and hosting humanitarian conferences in aid of Syria.