Dammam – Saudi Arabia and France agreed to promote efforts to fight terrorism and extremism and counter-terrorist financing.
Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz received a telephone call from French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
The two officials reviewed bilateral relations in various fields and means to fight terrorism and extremism, a statement by the Saudi Press Agency said.
It added that they both underlined the need to exert more efforts to dry up the sources of terrorism and stressed both countries’ keenness on the security and stability of the region.
Macron also held a telephone conversation with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, reported the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
WAM said the two leaders tackled cooperative relations and the latest developments in the region, as well as efforts exerted to combat terrorism and extremism. They also discussed the best means to support regional and international efforts to consolidate security and stability in the region.
Macron’s talks with Gulf leaders came at a time when Kuwait is leading diplomatic efforts to resolve the Gulf crisis, in the wake the Arab quartet’s insistence on Qatar’s need to comply with international efforts to prevent terrorism financing.
In this regard, Prince Mohammed received on Monday a written letter addressed to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz from the Kuwaiti Emir.
Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al Sabah and State Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah al-Mubarak Al Sabah delivered the message during a meeting with Prince Mohammed in Jeddah.
The Kuwaiti envoys conveyed a similar letter to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, before heading to the Sultanate of Oman, the UAE and later Bahrain.
Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said that the letter to Sultan Qaboos of Oman covered the latest developments on the regional and international arenas and issues of common concern.
The Kuwaiti envoys also delivered a similar message to Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, KUNA reported.
In Manama, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa received Kuwaiti envoys Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al Sabah and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Abdullah al-Mubarak Al Sabah, who delivered a written message to the Bahraini monarch.
In parallel, Kuwait’s cabinet announced on Tuesday that the Kuwaiti emir would visit Washington on September 6 on his first visit to the United States since President Donald Trump took office.