VALLETTA: President of Malta George Vella met Friday with the visiting Speaker of Kuwait's National Assembly Marzouq Al-Ghanem. Ghanem conveyed to the Maltese President the greetings of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and their wishes of further progress and prosperity for Malta. On his part, President Vella asked the National Assembly Speaker to convey his greetings and appreciation to the political leadership of Kuwait for their ongoing efforts in bolstering bilateral relations between the two nations. Speaker Ghanem arrived in Malta two days ago to participate in the second peace forum, organized by Al-Babtain Cultural Foundation, and gave a speech in the inaugural session on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Kuwait's Ambassador to Malta Faisal Al-Mutairi said that now "is a high time for promoting the culture of peace throughout the world." There is a need at the present time more than ever to promote the culture of peace, he said, stressing that understanding and cooperation among nations of diverse religions and cultures for sake of peace has become quite pressing. Ambassador Mutairi was speaking on the sidelines of the Second International Forum for Just Peace Culture, organized by the Kuwaiti Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Cultural Foundation in the Maltese capital.

Ambassador Mutairi lauded the foundation for organizing the event which would pave the way for establishing an international platform for publicizing just peace. The State of Kuwait has always been ready to partake in regional and international efforts for boosting the culture of peace, activate dialogue among civilizations and spread values of tolerance and mutual respect among nations of the globe, he affirmed. Mutairi said the forum is a very crucial event because of the messages that serve the human race, also noting that it is part of Kuwait's soft might, employed for serving peace permanently.

Saud Al-Babtain, in a statement at the inaugural session on Thursday, affirmed that his foundation is pursuing an initiative for securing the culture of peace for the next generations, disclosing that he has obtained accreditation of the United Nations General Assembly Bureau's of the initiative. The forum bears two symbols, one is the venue as it is held in a cosmopolitan country and the other is unanimity among the conferees to attain just peace, he said. - KUNA