Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah (photo) on Wednesday honored the Kuwaiti alumni of the British Royal Military Academy Sandhurst since 1952, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

The honoring ceremony, held at Sheraton Hotel, gathered President of Kuwait National Guard Sheikh Thamer Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, British Ambassador to Kuwait Matthew Lodge and Commander of the Academy Paul Nanson as well as a number of senior officers from both countries.

“This is the first time to honor the alumni of the prestigious college in a Gulf or Arab country,” Sheikh Khaled told the audience, noting that this celebration materializes the special relationship between Kuwait and Britain.

“The two countries are committed to further cementing these ties which are based on mutual respect and shared interests under the leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Queen Elizabeth II,” he added.

Over the last six decades Kuwaiti cadets joined the Academy, located in the town of Camberley, near the village of Sandhurst, Berkshire, about 55 kilometers (34 mi) southwest of London, and returned to invest their expertise in the various sectors of the Kuwaiti army and defend the sovereignty and independence of the homeland, he added.

Among the most notable Kuwaiti alumni of the Academy are the late chief of staff of the Army Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (1963-1980) and former minister of defense Sheikh Ali Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, former minister of interior Sheikh Jaber Al-Khaled Al-Sabah, Commander of the Ground Force Maj.-Gen. Staff Sheikh Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah and Ambassador Sheikh Thamer Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.