Saudi Crown Prince embarks on historic Kuwait visit today
Looming US sanctions on Iran and status of joint oil fields expected to be high on agenda
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The latest regional developments, particularly the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran and the economic sanctions to come into force against Tehran in November, will be high on the agenda in talks between Saudi and Kuwaiti leaders this week.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman will be in Kuwait today, three years after he visited the country as deputy crown prince.
Ways to bolster relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, including the status of the oil fields they share, will also be high on the agenda as the two countries reiterate the strength of their bonds.
In July, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait set up a coordination council as a major platform to boost cooperation between them and the visit is expected to discuss joint ventures and commercial and economic opportunities.
The Kuwaiti cabinet welcomed Prince Mohammad’s visit as a consolidation of growing bilateral relations.
With political and security developments unfolding at a tremendous pace in the region, Riyadh is increasingly keen on convergent attitudes in the Gulf towards US actions vis-à-vis Iran, especially if it threatens regional security and stability.
Prince Mohammad’s visit is likely to stress the importance of common stances.
In August, Kuwait’s Oil and Electricity Minister Bakheet Al Rashidi said his country expected to soon sign deals on the development of oil fields it shared with Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
“Matters with brothers in Saudi Arabia are going at a steady pace and we expect the return of production in the divided region soon,” he was quoted as saying by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) last month.
Kuwait lowered its diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 and recalled its ambassador, saying the decision had been taken following “the storming, torching and sabotage activities carried out by a group of demonstrators on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad”.
Kuwait blames Iran for its interference in the domestic affairs of Gulf countries.