Iran: Kuwait's Emir to Turn New Page in Ties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Kuwait's ruling emir will visit Iran at the end of the month to help turn a "new page" in bilateral ties, Iran's foreign ministry said on Tuesday, in the latest sign that Tehran seeks to improve relations with its Arab neighbors.
Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah will visit Iran on May 31-June 1 at the invitation of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said. The trip will be his first to Iran since becoming emir in 2006.
Kuwait is seen by some as a potential bridge between Iran and Persian Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported.
The visit "will usher in a new page of Kuwait-Iran relations," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham told a televised news conference in Tehran. The office of Kuwait's emir has not confirmed the trip.
Sheikh Sabah, a former foreign minister, is often described by analysts as one of the region's most important diplomats, often acting as a mediator and peacemaker.
He has maintained good ties with Iran, directly across the Persian Gulf waterway, as well as with Kuwait's large neighbors Saudi Arabia and Iraq.