NEW YORK: There will be no peace in the region without the establishment of an independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, Representative of HH the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, said in his address during the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

HH the Crown Prince condemned in his speech the “continuous (Zionist) aggression” against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, in addition to the occupation’s attacks on Lebanon and its attempts to drag the region into war. “We cannot objectively seek a bright future for our people without holding accountable those who violate the UN Charter, principles of international law and the international humanitarian law,” he said.

Under the patronage and attendance of HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of signing the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) was held in New York late Wednesday. In a speech during the event, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 79th session, HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled affirmed Kuwait’s continuous efforts to strengthen its strategic partnership with NATO, especially since it was the first country to join the initiative in 2004.

He added that Kuwait is the headquarters of the first-of-its-kind NATO-ICI Regional Center, launched in 2017, which hosts many events and training courses. Kuwait is exerting great efforts to enhance political and security dialogue with ICI countries, with the aim of achieving stability in the region, he said. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined Kuwait’s significant role in developing partnership between the alliance and ICI countries.

HH the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah earlier met US President Joe Biden at a reception honoring heads of delegations taking part in the UNGA, held at the American Museum of Natural History. HH Sheikh Sabah conveyed greetings from HH the Amir to Biden, reiterating during the occasion the historic stance of the US towards Kuwait and its people. The meeting between the two reflected the strong and historic nature of relations linking Kuwait and the United States. HH the Amir’s Representative wished President Biden and the American people more progress and development during the meeting.

HH Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also received Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at his residence in New York. HH the Crown Prince conveyed greetings of HH the Amir to Pezeshkian. The two discussed during the meeting relations between Kuwait and Iran, and means of backing and enhancing them to serve the two countries and their nations’ interests, in addition to the latest developments in regional and international arenas. — KUNA