DEAD SEA: TheWorld Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa opened in theJordanian capital yesterday, with heads of state and senior officials fromacross the region, including Kuwait, in attendance. The Kuwaiti delegation tothe talks, which revolve around plans to build a more resilient economy in theMiddle East and North African region, includes Finance Minister Dr NayifAl-Hajraf and the governor of Kuwait's central bank Dr Mohammad Al-Hashel.
Jordan has paid a heavy price for "doing the right thing" in dealingwith the influx of refugees, King Abdullah II told the forum, saying theHashemite Kingdom continues to cooperate with its international partners overthe matter. The Middle East and North Africa region represents one of thebiggest consumer markets in the world, the Jordanian monarch emphasized, sayingthe talks will address some of the most pressing problems facing the region.
Issues such as a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflictand fighting climate change also feature atop the agenda, UN secretary generalAntonio Guterres said. "Global challenges have become increasinglycorrelated," he pointed out, but the response to these challenges remains"incoherent", Guterres added, acknowledging Amman's significantcontributions towards international peace and security. The two-day talksinclude matters from healthcare and education to gender parity andanti-corruption efforts.
Kuwaiti Minister of Finance Dr Nayef Al-Hajraf expressed his confidence in theKuwaiti youth potentials for creativity and business leadership. The (Kuwaiti)Government believes that small and medium enterprises, mainly launched by thejunior citizens, will spur the gross domestic product, said Dr Al-Hajraf inremarks to KUNA on sidelines of the World Economic Forum on the Middle East andNorth Africa, dubbed (Towards New Cooperation Systems).
He expressed deep satisfaction at young Kuwaitis who have succeeded inexpanding their investments in small and medium enterprises, not only in Kuwaitbut also in the region. Also boastful, the minister noted that Kuwaiticompanies have been included in a list of 100 emerging and promising companies,operating in technology, in the region. Earlier, he met with Jordanian PrimeMinister Dr Omar Al-Razaz, conveying to him greetings from His Highness thePrime Minister. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Finance said in a statement the he hadalso held a sideline session with the Kazakh Foreign Minister, BeibutAtamkulov, discussing commercial cooperation and issues.
Minister Al-Hajraf also met with the World Economic Forum, President of theWorld Economic Forum, Borge Brende. During the meeting, they discussed thevision of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah onKuwait's transformation into a financial center attracting investment in whichthe private sector will lead the economic activity and encourage the spirit ofcompetition and raising the efficiency of production in light of a supportiveinstitutional body.
They also discussed Kuwait's desire to display its 2035 vision at the Davos2020 forum. It said that a number of leading personalities and decision makersin the public and private sectors from the Middle East and North Africa and anumber of regional and international speakers and experts in various fieldsalso took part. - KUNA