Riyadh, Kuwait aim to strengthen ties
Kuwait rejects malicious reports about visit; says it’s satisfied with results
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Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have affirmed the strong ties binding them and their keen interest in consolidating their cooperation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman arrived on Sunday evening on a short visit to Kuwait for talks with the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad, Crown Prince Shaikh Nawaf Al Ahmad and other senior officials.
Prince Mohammad, making his first visit to a Gulf country since he became crown prince, was accorded a grand welcome.
The two countries discussed ways of boosting bilateral relations in all domains, as well as regional and international developments, according to official accounts by their news agencies.
The meeting at Al Bayan Palace in Kuwait City also covered “efforts to support common Gulf action”.
Resumption of production
No details about other topics on the agenda of the talks were provided, but speculation was high that the meeting covered the resumption of oil production at the Neutral Zone’s jointly operated oilfields, mainly Khafji which was shut in October 2014 for environmental reasons and Wafra, which has been down since May 2015 due to operating difficulties.
The resumption of production at the two oilfields could add up to 500,000 barrels per day of oil output capacity to both countries and thus help raise output amid declining Iranian supplies hit by US sanctions and calls to increase oil production to bring crude prices down.
Riyadh is increasingly keen on convergent attitudes in the Gulf towards US actions vis-aà-vis Iran and Tehran’s possible reaction, especially if it threatens regional security and stability.
‘Deplorable’ reports
Kuwait slammed some reports in other countries that claimed the results were less than expected. “We deplore reports in some media, particularly social media, that included erroneous information and claims that lacked credibility about the visit,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Monday evening.
“The dissemination of such misleading information is an approach aimed at harming the fraternal relations between the two countries and at undermining their higher interests.”
The spokesperson said Kuwait was satisfied with the outcome of the visit and that the talks were characterised by a brotherly spirit and a shared keenness to achieve common higher interests.