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Kuwait Confirms There Will Be no Iranian-Kuwaiti Dialogue | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Media ID: 55360296
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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, left, greets the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah in Tehran on June 1, 2014 (AFP Photo/Atta Kenare)


Riyadh – Kuwait refused any attempts for dialogue with Iran, unless it was held between Iran and the Gulf countries.

Kuwaiti Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Khaled al-Jarallah told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that it is not impossible for Iran to start a dialogue with its Gulf neighbors.

Jarallah said that Tehran is required to maintain good-neighbor relations and respect the sovereignty of other countries without interfering in their internal affairs.

The undersecretary stressed that Kuwaiti-Iranian talks are not possible, but Gulf-Iranian ones are.

Earlier, Iran-backed media outlets reported diplomatic attempts for an Iranian-Kuwaiti dialogue, which authorities in Kuwait denied.

The undersecretary added that the Turkish-Gulf relations evolved recently given the common challenges faced by both.

He added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef’s visit to Turkey paved the way for the latest meeting between Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Turkey in Riyadh last week.

The GCC-Turkish council urged Iran to stop its sectarian interferences in the region.

The GCC-Turkey ministerial meeting called on “Iran and Iraq to refrain from promoting sectarianism in the region.”

The foreign ministers reaffirmed “their complete rejection of the use of Iraqi territory as a safe haven for terrorist groups to carry out terror attacks including smuggling of weapons and explosives.”

The ministers also condemned “indiscriminate airstrikes on Syria’s Aleppo” and expressed “deep regrets” at the inability of the U.N. and the international community to stop the attacks.

Furthermore, the ministers agreed on extending the joint plan between GCC and Turkey till the end of 2018 in addition to promoting bilateral relations in all aspects.

GCC’s general secretariat was assigned to devise methods to develop the Turkish-GCC relations including free trade.