KUWAIT: The governments of the US and Kuwait are scheduled to launch their fourth Strategic Dialogue talks today through a series of virtual, bilateral working groups, the US Embassy said yesterday. The working groups will run for the next two weeks in the lead up to a closing ceremony in Washington DC on November 24. The closing ceremony will be co-chaired by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah.

The different working groups serve to strengthen cooperation between the two countries across various fields including political, human rights and development; education and scientific cooperation; security; consular services, customs, and border protection; trade and investment; and defense.

"The bilateral working groups have to take on a mostly virtual dimension this year because of the pandemic," US Ambassador to Kuwait Alina Romanowski said. "If anything, however, going virtual is a testament to our commitment and resolve to expand cooperation between our two countries despite the limitations imposed by COVID-19," Romanowski added.

The US-Kuwait Strategic Dialogue, first launched four years ago, is the overarching framework of efforts to shape the two countries' work on shared issues. The 2020 dialogue will build on the successes from previous years, including past agreements and MOUs on counter-terrorism training, higher education, cybersecurity, counter-narcotics, and customs security.

As part of this year's Strategic Dialogue, the two countries are expected to sign the first MOU on health cooperation. "The Strategic Dialogue has become the centerpiece of our enduring relationship and it will continue to serve as a long-term framework for our common vision of continuously expanding cooperation," Ambassador Romanowski said. - KUNA