Saudi Arabia and Kuwait today issued a joint statement at the conclusion of the official visit of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense, to Kuwait. Following is the text of the statement: Emanating from the solid historical relations and close fraternal bonds that unite Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and based on the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia paid an official visit to Kuwait on 10/12/2021. His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, received His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud conveyed to the Emir of Kuwait the greetings and appreciation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and his wishes of good health and wellness to His Highness, and the State of Kuwait and its people further progress and prosperity. His Highness Sheikh Nawaf sent his greetings and best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, wishing him constant good health and wellness and the Saudi people further progress and prosperity. His Royal Highness Prince Muhammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait held an official session of talks, during which they reviewed the close bilateral relations between the two countries, the prospects for cooperation and means to develop them in various fields, praising the cooperation and coordination that has been achieved in the political, security, military, economic and commercial fields to achieve security, stability, and prosperity for the two countries. The two sides also commended the establishment of the Saudi-Kuwaiti Coordination Council, which corresponds to the keenness of the leadership of the two countries to boost cooperation in all fields to a level that reflects the depth of historical ties, and stressed the need to work together to achieve progress in the areas of cooperation specified by the Council in a way that enhances these areas and advances relations to the horizons of strategic partnership. The two sides affirmed their determination to develop cooperation and coordination in the defense and military fields between the two countries and praised the level of joint security cooperation and coordination, expressing their desire to continue strengthening this cooperation in a way that achieves security and stability for the two countries. In the energy sector, the two sides hailed the close cooperation, and the successful efforts of the OPEC Plus group aimed at enhancing the stability of the global oil market, and stressed the importance of continuing this cooperation and the need for all participating countries to adhere to the OPEC Plus agreement. The two sides pointed out that coordination is currently underway between companies operating in the divided area and the submerged area adjacent to it concerning the implementation of the terms of the memorandum of understanding, and that work is ongoing to increase the level of production in both the Khafji operations and the joint Wafra operations. They also agreed to enhance means of cooperation on international climate policies and to cooperate in implementing the Middle East Green initiative launched by His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and to cooperate in the application of the concept of a circular carbon economy to contribute to addressing carbon emissions in an economically sustainable manner, in addition to cooperation in areas of efficiency of energy and renewable energy and the development of its technologies and projects to contribute to the sustainability of energy supplies globally, and the importance of increasing cooperation to enhance the two countries benefit from the electrical interconnection, the commercial exchange of electric energy, and maximizing the use of local content in energy sector projects. The two sides also reiterated keenness to move forward to enhance economic, commercial, and investment cooperation in the public and private sectors, establish joint economic projects in the two countries and raise the level of trade exchange between them in a way that achieves the aspirations of the citizens of the two countries. They also agreed to consolidate aspects of cooperation to encourage direct investment in both countries to activate the memorandum of understanding signed between them, work to enhance investment exchange opportunities, and unify efforts to overcome obstacles and provide opportunities for investors on both sides. The two sides stressed the importance of continuing to enhance the existing cooperation in the financial sector, exchanging expertise and best practices in implementing economic reforms, diversifying sources of income, developing efficiency and transparency of public finance, and benefiting from the experience both sides enjoy. They underlined the importance of strengthening cooperation in various fields such as health, tourism, food security, and human development, especially in the youth and women's empowerment sectors, as well as cooperation in the areas of digital transformation and cybersecurity. The two sides emphasized the contents of the Al-Ula Declaration issued on January 5, 2021, which stipulated the full and accurate implementation of the vision of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, which was approved by the Supreme Council of the GCC at its 36th session in December 2015 as per a specific timetable, including completing the elements of economic unity and the joint defense and security systems and formulating a unified foreign policy to ensure the solidarity and stability of the GCC area and strengthening the regional role of the member states through unifying political stances and developing political partnerships with the international community and regional and international organizations and maintaining the unity and cohesion of the GCC states. The two sides also discussed the regional and international developments and stressed the coordination of their stances to serve the mutual interests and support and enhance security and stability in the region and the world. In this regard, the two sides affirm their full support for all the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, mainly their right to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 1967 borders, per the Arab Peace Initiative, the principle of the two-state solution and relevant international legitimacy resolutions, in a way that achieves the aspirations of the Palestinian people. On the Yemeni file, the two sides affirmed the congruence of their views on continuing their efforts to find a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis based on the Gulf initiative and its implementation mechanism, the outcomes of the comprehensive Yemeni national dialogue, UN Security Council Resolution No. (2216), and the initiative of Saudi Arabia to end the Yemeni crisis, and expressed their support to the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's envoy to Yemen and the initiatives of friendly countries, and to support the efforts made to alleviate the human suffering of the Yemeni people, and condemned the Houthi militia's targeting of airports, civilian institutions in the Kingdom, and its threat to international waterways, calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to fulfill their duties towards stopping these attacks that violate international humanitarian law and affect international peace and security. Concerning the Lebanese issue, the two sides stressed the need to carry out comprehensive reforms to ensure that Lebanon overcomes its crises, and confines arms to the legitimate state institutions, per what was stated in Security Council Resolutions No. 1559 and 1701, and ensure that Lebanon does not become a launching platform for any terrorist acts or an incubator for organizations and groups that target the security and stability of the region and a source of the drug scourge that threatens the safety of societies in the region and the world. The two sides expressed their full support for the security and stability of Iraq, and welcomed the success of the electoral process in Iraq, expressing their wishes for the formation of an Iraqi government that will continue to work for the security, stability, and development of Iraq, and eliminate terrorism and the cessation of foreign interference in its internal affairs. Concerning Sudan, the two sides welcomed the understandings reached by the parties to the transitional phase in Sudan and affirmed their continued support for the efforts that would achieve security and stability in Sudan, wishing Sudan and its people to enjoy stability and prosperity. They also stressed the importance of dealing seriously and effectively with Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program with all its components and repercussions, stressing their common position in this regard and their call to abide by Security Council Resolution No. (2231), calling on the concerned parties to take into consideration the interests, security, and stability of the regional countries and engage them in any agreements or arrangements to ensure the implementation of the principle of good neighborliness and to enhance and preserve regional and international security and stability. The two sides also affirm that a political solution is the only solution to the Syrian crisis, and in this regard, they support the efforts of the United Nations and its Special Envoy to implement the relevant international resolutions, namely the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254 and the Geneva Declaration 1 and to halt all regional interventions and schemes that threaten the unity, sovereignty, and identity of Syria. About Afghanistan; the two sides stressed the need to support security and stability in Afghanistan and to ensure the nonexistence of safe havens for terrorists and extremists. They also condemned any acts aimed at recruiting Afghan refugees in various conflict areas and expressed the importance of supporting relief efforts and humanitarian work in Afghanistan and, in this regard, the Kuwaiti side appreciated the Kingdom's invitation to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to convene extraordinary ministers meeting to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, which will be held in Pakistan on December 19, 2021 On the Libyan issue, the two sides welcomed the Libyan and UN efforts to support the implementation of the agreed political outcome to enable the Libyan people to achieve their aspirations for unity, peace, stability, and prosperity, in the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 2750. At the conclusion of the visit, His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed his deep appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, and to His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait for the warm reception, great and generous hospitality He and the accompanying delegation have received during their stay in Kuwait. His Highness Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also expressed his best wishes to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and to the Saudi people further progress and prosperity.
