Kuwait is decorated with both the Kuwaiti and the Saudi flags to welcome Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud on his visit to Kuwait on Thursday.

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 7, (KUNA): First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said the upcoming visit by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud to Kuwait will add to the already firm ground of the bilateral ties. “The visit will be a historic juncture in the relationships between the two countries in all fields which stood the test of time and continue to serve the joint interests, and fend off the common threats and challenges,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said in statements to KUNA on Wednesday.“His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is keen on strengthening the relations, whether on the state-to-state or the people-to-people levels, with all GCC member countries, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “The Kuwaiti-Saudi relations continue to grow thanks to the care and keenness of the leaders of both countries,” he pointed out.“King Salman will be more than welcome to be here as guest of His Highness the Amir and the Kuwaiti people who remember with gratitude the Kingdom’s historic stances towards, and strong support to, Kuwait,” he went on.Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled recalled the “the heroic and decisive” help offered by Saudi Arabia to Kuwait in the struggle against the Iraqi invasion in 1990-1991 until the liberation of Kuwait and restoration of legitimacy. He reaffirmed Kuwait’s desire to continue working with the Kingdom to meet the aspirations of the two peoples, boost cooperation among the Arab and Muslim nations, and contribute to international peace and stability. King Salman is scheduled to meet His Highness the Amir during his stay here.Kuwait will be the fourth leg in Saudi King’s tour of the GCC states which took him to the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain where he attended the 37th GCC Summit yesterday. Kuwaiti academics stressed the importance of the historic upcoming visit of the Saudi King to the country. In separate interviews with Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), they pointed out that several key and heated topics would be on the table of discussions between the visiting Saudi leader and His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.They noted that the importance of the talks stems from the fact that the Kingdom is the strategic depth of the State of Kuwait. They expected that the talks could also touch upon the Saudi proposal to develop the Gulf Cooperation Council to a union as to unite Gulf states in the face of impending challenges facing the region.DelicateKing Salman’s visit came at a delicate time for the whole region, Political Science Professor at Kuwait University (KU) Dr Abdullah Al-Ghanim told KUNA, he noted that this was the first visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Kuwait since he assumed power. Al-Ghanim indicated that the growing dangers and challenges in the region would feature high on the bilateral talks. Topping the list was the terrorism threats, especially from groups such as the so-called Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, as well as the ongoing war in Yemen and its economic cost and impact on the region’s security and stability, he said. He also expected that the two leaders would tackle the declining oil prices and its effects on the budgets of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states.In this regard, the GCC States were exerting relentless efforts to strike a balance on the oil market by cutting their production to stop the deterioration of oil prices, Al-Ghanim claimed. He pointed out that the developments in crisis-hit regional countries such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen need thorough discussions from both leaders. On the GCC, he clarified that the GCC was formed during the Iran- Iraq war in early 1980s to cement cooperation during that period and now as the challenges grow, work for the transformation to the union stage became more urgent.He underlined that Saudi Arabia has been Kuwait’s main strategist backer in crisis times such as the Iran-Iraq war and the subsequent Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. For his part, Academic and Political Researcher Dr Ayed Al-Manaa Manaa pointed out that the wisdom of the two leaders and their experience in Arab, regional and international policy will increase the feasibility of the talks, especially as it comes after Manama summit. Manaa stated that Kuwaiti-Saudi political, economic and cultural relations are deeply-rooted at the government and popular levels. He pointed to the unforgettable supportive stance of Saudi Arabia during the brutal Iraqi invasion in 1990.On the main dossiers to be opened during the visit, he pointed to bilateral relations, regional security, whether in Iraq, Yemen, Syria and its impact on the region as well as relations with Iran. He underlined the importance of mulling the issue of requirements and steps needed to be taken before moving to the union stage.Manaa stated that relations with the United States after the election of the President-elect Donald Trump and the recently passed the controversial JASTA law as well as the GCC efforts to diversify income resources and study post-oil stage could be discussed during the coming visit. Meanwhile, the upcoming visit by the Saudi King to Kuwait will add another milestone to the strong and historic relations linking the two nations. In his first official state visit to Kuwait since ascending the throne on January 23, 2015, King Salman will focus on reinforcing the strong relations with the State of Kuwait. King Salman will be meeting with His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah during his visit.RelationsThe two leaders are expected to look into topics of mutual concern and will also touch on issues pertaining to bilateral relations. Regional and international happenings will also be on the radar of the top GCC leaders. King Salman visited Kuwait on numerous occasions. In December of 2013, King Salman was in Kuwait as representative of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud at the 34th GCC summit. In March of 2014, the Saudi King took part in the 25th Arab summit which was also held in Kuwait. He headed the Saudi delegation to the second donors’ conference for Syria held mid-January of 2015. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad also made numerous visits to Saudi Arabia before and since becoming the head of the State of Kuwait. The history of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia had been interconnected with leaders exchanging visits since the early 1900s.In 1910, founder of Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al-Saud visited Kuwait in the era of the Amir Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah. After the death of King Abdulaziz Al-Saud, his son Saud — who was born in Kuwait in 1902 — became King of Saudi Arabia. King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud is remembered fondly by the people of Kuwait with him being one of the first Arab leaders to visit the country after the independence in 1961.Perhaps the most important gesture of solidarity between the two nations came during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Back then, the late Saudi King Fahad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud stood with Kuwait against the Iraqi aggressors. Saudi troops were among the international coalition which liberated Kuwait in 1991.