WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th September, 2018) US President Donald Trump and Kuwait's Emir meet at the White House on Wednesday where they will discuss trade and security cooperation amid ongoing tensions and accelerating developments in the Gulf and on the international stage.
The White House in a press release on Friday said Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and Trump would discuss trade, investment, and security cooperation during their "working" meeting.
On Tuesday, the emir arrived in Washington and was greeted at the airport by senior State Department officials, KUNA news agency reported. The Emir's delegation includes senior officials from the finance and foreign ministries along with top technology and investment representatives, the report added.
Kuwait Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah during an interview with KUNA on Tuesday underscored the fact the visit to Washington of His Highness comes at a time of "accelerating" developments in the Gulf region and on the international stage along with challenges the international coalition against terrorism must face.
Kuwait has acted as a mediator in a diplomatic row that erupted last year between Qatar and other Gulf and Arab states. Kuwait handed Doha an ultimatum from four Arab states with 13 demands, including cutting ties with Iran, shutting down Al Jazeera, and ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a terrorist organization banned in Russia. Qatar refused to comply with the demands.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that Defense Secretary James Mattis had met with representatives of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and other Arab countries to discuss working together to address shared security issues in the region.
Last month, the United States, Kuwait and Iraq participated in a joint maritime security exercise in the US 5th Fleet area of operations that includes the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean, including three critical choke points - the Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of Yemen.
