EU reaffirms support of Kuwait’s efforts to resolve Gulf crisis
The European Union (EU) on Friday reiterated ‘full support’ to Kuwaiti efforts to put an end to the Gulf crisis within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). This came in a joint statement issued following talks between EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Kuwaiti Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah in Dubrovnik in Croatia.
“[Mogherini] expressed the EU’s full support for the efforts of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait (Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah) to heal the rift in relations between some Gulf countries and reduce tension in the region as a whole,” said the statement. During the meeting, which was attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Belgium Jassem Al-Budaiwi, they discussed the latest developments of the Gulf crisis and the perspectives for overcoming current tensions, according to the statement.
Mogherini and Sheikh Mohammad “expect all parties involved to reduce tension and to engage urgently in a dialogue to resolve their differences,” it added. They reiterated the importance of the unity and stability of the Gulf region, emphasizing that a solution should be found within the framework of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and discussed ways in which the EU could best support this work. In particular, they stressed that it was important to avoid other regions being drawn into this dispute. Sheikh Mohammad shared with Mogherini the elements of the mediation that Kuwait has been undertaking. They agreed to continue working in close cooperation for the swiftest possible resolution of the situation. Sheikh Mohammad Al-Abdullah is in Croatia as part of a tour that has taken him to Washington, London, Paris and Berlin within the framework of Kuwait’s efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis.
In Washington, the Kuwaiti official held talk with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, calling on all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions in the GCC. Also in Washington, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak met with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who lauded the international organization’s support to Kuwaiti mediation efforts.
In London, the Kuwaiti minister met with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who voiced London’s backing to Kuwaiti efforts to put an end to the Gulf crisis, and vowed to work with Kuwait in this regard. In Paris, he held talks with French Foreign Minister JeanYves Le Drian, who urged all parties to reduce tension and hold dialogue. — KUNA