Kuwait – Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah called on Qatar on Monday to exercise restraint and to avoid taking any measures that would escalate the situation with its Gulf neighbors.

The Kuwaiti emir received at Dusman Palace in Kuwait Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Mekka Region and Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

During the audience, the Saudi prince conveyed a verbal message from King Salman to the Emir on the “distinct bilateral relations binding the two fraternal countries and peoples, as well as issues of common interest and latest developments on the regional as well as international stages,” reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Meanwhile, Kuwait’s state-run KUNA news agency said that Sheikh Sabah has asked the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to exercise restraint and “not to take any measures that could escalate” the tensions in the region.

This came after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates announced early on Monday cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar and shutting down land, sea and air links over accusations of the latter’s support of terrorist groups.

KUNA added that the Kuwaiti emir spoke with Qatar’s ruler on Monday evening and urged him to “work on easing tensions and refrain from taking any decision that might cause escalation”.

The Qatari cabinet expressed “surprise” on Monday over the decision by Arab and Islamic countries to cut diplomatic relations with Doha, noting that such moves were “unjustified”.

The Qatari foreign ministry, for its part, said in a statement that it “deeply regrets” the measures against the country.