KUWAIT: HH the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Sunday presided over an official round of talks between the two countries. Present at the talks were HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and senior officials of both countries.

Al-Sharaa and an accompanying delegation were earlier received at the airport by head of the honorary delegation, Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Yahya. The Syrian delegation included Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and senior state officials.

Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in a statement that the talks focused on bolstering bilateral relations in all possible domains to achieve the mutual interests of Kuwait and Syria. The talks also focused on coordinating efforts between the two countries regionally and internationally, especially those concerning maintaining the stability and unity of Syria, he revealed. Issues of common concerns as well as regional and global developments were discussed, the minister added.

HH the Amir Sheikh Meshal later held a luncheon in honor of Al-Sharaa and the accompanying delegation at Bayan Palace. Al-Sharaa also met First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Saud Al-Sabah in his residence at Bayan Palace on Sunday with the attendance of Al-Yahya, before departing Kuwait. – KUNA

GENEVA: The State of Kuwait Permanent Representative at the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Nasser Al-Hayen, said on Sunday Kuwait’s participation in the annual International Labour Conference affirms its unwavering commitment to labor and social development issues. The convention is a platform to exchange expertise and study the best “practices of upgrading (states’) labor policies,” said Ambassador Al-Hayen, in a statement to KUNA, ahead of the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (ILC), scheduled in Geneva from June 2 to 13.

Ambassador Al-Hayen, who chairs the Kuwaiti delegation at the event grouping representatives of 187 states (of governments, employers and labor unions), affirmed that the national mission includes representatives of these three parties, as well as the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Such a representation mirrors Kuwait’s keenness on bolstering a balanced social partnership, activating the trilateral dialogue and boosting cooperation with the relevant international organizations.

The Kuwaiti participations, he has added, is a continuation of the close cooperation with the International Labor Organization (ILO) since joining it more than six decades ago and is helpful for improving the work environment and updating relevant legislations in harmony with international criteria, Ambassador Al-Hayen said further. The conference agenda tackles possibility to enact new criteria for protecting workers from biological hazards at work, enhancing proper work in the digital economy and work platforms, facilitating transformation from the non-official economy to the regulated economy. — KUNA

Conferees will also examines ILO’s projected budget for 2026-2027, a report by ILO’s director general on workers’ conditions in the occupied Arab territories, a topic supported by Kuwait. Ambassador Al-Hayen acclaimed the solid cooperation between Kuwait and ILO, particularly on supporting labor programs in the Middle East. Kuwait, the first state that joined ILO (in 1961), is a prime contributor to the regional offices of the organizations. In 1972, it signed an agreement with the organization for establishing a permanent bureau in Kuwait. — KUNA