Kuwait City: Kuwait’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Sheikh Ahmed Al Nasser Al Sabah, affirmed that Kuwait will continue following the late Emir’s, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, foreign policy.
In a press statement, Sheikh Ahmed said Kuwait will continue to strengthen its partnership throughout the international community, support mediation efforts and aim to boost peace across the world.
Sheikh Ahmed sent letters of thanks to all the heads of states that sent their condolences after Sheikh Sabah, 91, passed away on September 29.
Many leaders paid their respects, several who traveled to Kuwait, and commemorated the late Emir as a leader in diplomacy and the ‘Emir of Humanity’.
Distinguished statesman
The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, described the late Emir as a “distinguished statesman and an outstanding humanitarian who contributed to building bridges of understanding in the Gulf region and beyond.”
President Trump characterized Sheikh Sabah as an “unparalleled diplomat”.
The late Emir was the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1963 and 1991, and then from 1992 to 2003. With 40 years of experience in international affairs, Sheikh Sabah played a key role in establishing and shaping Kuwait’s foreign policy. He has been applauded as one of the Arab world’s leading diplomats and a global humanitarian.
Amidst the 2017 Gulf crisis, Sheikh Sabah established Kuwait as the key mediator between the two sides. The Emir’s efforts to act as mediator were applauded by the United States and France. Kuwait, which has retained ties with Qatar and has often acted as a mediator in regional disputes, has maintained that it wants to resolve the dispute “within the unified Gulf house”.
Under Sheikh Sabah’s leadership, in 2016, Kuwait hosted a UN sponsored peace talks to mediate between the various factions involved in the ongoing Yemen war. The Emir has also hosted various major donor conferences in an effort to help war-torn countries like Iraq and Syria.
