Iran, Kuwait to discuss Mideast developments: Official

Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah

“The expansion of bilateral cooperation, pursuit of agreements between Iran and Kuwait over the past few years and consultation about regional developments, the Middle East in particular, are on the agenda of the two countries’ officials,” head of the Persian Gulf Office of Iran’s Foreign Ministry Mohammad Ali Bek told Mehr news agency on Saturday.

He added that the Kuwaiti Emir will arrive in the Iranian capital on Sunday at the head of a high-ranking delegation on an official two-day visit and would hold talks with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

He noted that closer cooperation with the Persian Gulf littoral states is a central plank of Iran’s foreign policy and said the Kuwaiti Emir’s visit to Tehran would open a new chapter in the two country’s relations.

The Iranian official said the two countries would sign five agreements and memoranda of understanding and exchange security documents.

In a meeting with his Kuwaiti opposite number Sheikh Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah in Algiers on Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Kuwaiti Emir’s visit would further boost mutual relations.

In a statement released on Monday, Kuwait’s cabinet expressed hope that Sheikh Sabah’s visit would strengthen “security, stability and peace in the region,” and upgrade Iran-Kuwait bilateral cooperation in various fields.