Cabinet reviews regional shifts, supports US-Iran understanding

KUWAIT CITY, June 17: Kuwait’s Cabinet on Wednesday welcomed a framework agreement between the US and Iran to end their war, hoping that the deal would usher in lasting peace and stability around the region and beyond. The Cabinet, amid its weekly session presided over by Acting Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah, hoped the framework agreement would immediately and effectively cease military operations across all fronts and ensure free and save navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, acknowledging the efforts of mediator Pakistan, in addition to Qatar, in bringing the warring parties’ views closer together. Discussing the agreement, set to be signed on Friday in a ceremony slated for Geneva, Switzerland, the Cabinet hoped that the deal would forge out “sustainable solutions” to all remaining sticking points between Tehran and Washington, highlighting “mutual respect and non-interference in the internal affairs of states,” in addition to shunning the use of force as key conditions for security and stability in the region and the world as a whole.  

The Cabinet then discussed a recent phone call between His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Britain’s King Charles III, in which the latter deplored a wave of Iranian attacks against Kuwait and expressed London’s unwavering support for Kuwait’s security and stability, a warm gesture highly appreciated by His Highness the Amir as a testament to the depth of “historic” bilateral relations. The contents of a letter forwarded to His Highness the Amir by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan was another topic of discussion, in which an invitation was extended to His Highness the Amir to attend the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 17) in the Armenian capital Yerevan scheduled to take place from October 19-30 of this year.

The Cabinet went on to discuss a phone call between His Highness the Amir and US President Donald Trump, which took place shortly after the framework deal between Tehran and Washington was announced, with the framework being praised by His Highness the Amir as a step that could potentially resolve the conflict between the US and Iran. His Highness the Amir thanked the US president for his efforts to end the war and hoped that ramping up diplomacy and the use of dialogue and other “peaceful means” would help stifle all conflicts in the region and beyond in a bid to usher in lasting peace and security. Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Al-Sabah then briefed the cabinet on the outcome of the 167th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Ministerial Council talks in the Bahraini capital Manama, in which GCC member states condemned Iran’s latest attacks targeting Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, slamming the transgression as grave threat to the wider Gulf Arab region’s security and stability.

The Cabinet then looked into another gathering that brought together GCC foreign ministers and their Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, which looked into bilateral relations and efforts to propel these ties to greater levels, placing much emphasis on bilateral cooperation across key sectors running the gamut from trade and energy to food security and logistics. The Kuwaiti foreign minister than informed the Cabinet about a string of recent phone calls the minister made with his counterparts from a number of friendly countries, all of which welcomed the framework agreement between the US and Iran to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to free and safe navigation. Given the current circumstances around the region and subsequent measures introduced in Kuwait to ensure the safety of nationals and non-Kuwaitis alike, the cabinet said that it would continue to convene regularly to keep abreast of regional and global developments.