KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah expressed on Tuesday optimism over the end of the Gulf crisis and restoring relations back to normal among conflicting parties, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said. At the inauguration of the new National Assembly (parliament), Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah said that the Kuwaiti government will continue its firm stance on a foreign policy based on respecting the sovereignty and independence of other countries, and not interfering with matters of internal affairs. With regard to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), he said that Kuwait believes in the importance of the Gulf nations' security, indicating that it is a common responsibility shared by all member states. On Dec. 4, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said that fruitful talks were held recently to achieve reconciliation and support Gulf and Arab solidarity and stability. "Within the framework of reconciliation efforts, previously led by the late Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and in continuation of the efforts currently being carried out by Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and US President Donald Trump to resolve the crisis, fruitful discussions took place recently, in which all parties affirmed their keenness on Gulf and Arab solidarity and stability and to reach a final agreement that would achieve the aspirations of lasting solidarity among their countries and achieve what is good for their people," he said in a public address on state TV. Saudi Arabia — along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt — severed diplomatic ties with Doha in June 2017. They accused Qatar of supporting regional extremist organizations and terrorist groups, and want the country to change its policies as a condition for dialogue. Qatar has, however, denied the charges
