Cabinet holds meeting chaired by Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah

Kuwait City, 1 September 2026 (KUNA) -- The Cabinet held its meeting today, Tuesday, 1 September 2026, presided over by His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister, may God protect him. Following the meeting, His Excellency Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salim Al-Sabah issued the following statement:

At the outset of its meeting, the Cabinet was briefed on the content of a written letter received from His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect him and guard him, addressed to His Excellency Dr. Rashad Muhammad Al-Alimi, Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council of the Republic of Yemen, a fraternal country. The letter pertains to the fraternal bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance and develop them across various fields. The letter was delivered to His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, may God protect him, by Her Excellency Dr. Afrah Abdulaziz Al-Zoba, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Republic of Yemen, last Monday. The meeting was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Thamer Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Head of the Diwan of the Crown Prince, His Excellency Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and senior officials.

The Cabinet was also briefed on the content of a written letter sent by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect him and guard him, to His Excellency Lee Jae-myung, President of the Republic of Korea, a friendly country. The letter concerns the close historical ties linking the two countries and their peoples, and ways to strengthen and develop these relations, alongside current developments in the region. His Highness’s letter was delivered by His Excellency Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, to his Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun, during a meeting held between them last week within the framework of His Excellency’s official visit to Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea. During the meeting, the close relations between the two friendly countries were reviewed, and both sides reaffirmed their shared commitment to enhancing cooperation and coordination across various fields and at all levels, thereby contributing to advancing bilateral relations to higher levels and serving the common interests of both sides. The two sides also discussed regional and international developments and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest, foremost among them the developments in the region and diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and enhancing security and stability.

Furthermore, the Cabinet was briefed on the content of a written letter sent by His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect him and guard him, to Her Excellency Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, a friendly country. The letter addresses the close historical ties linking the two countries and their peoples, and ways to strengthen and develop these relations, alongside current developments in the region. His Highness’s letter was delivered by His Excellency Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during the reception accorded to him last week by Her Excellency the Prime Minister of Japan within the framework of His Excellency’s official visit to Tokyo, the Japanese capital.

On another note, the Cabinet was briefed on the content of a written letter received by His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister, may God protect him, from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai, last Monday. The letter contains an invitation from His Highness to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week summit. The written letter was delivered to His Highness by His Excellency Dr. Matar Hamed Al-Nuaimi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Kuwait.

The Cabinet was also informed of the meeting held last Monday between His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister, and Mr. Ghadi Al-Khouri, the Ambassador of the sisterly Republic of Lebanon to the State of Kuwait, in the presence of the Acting Head of the Prime Minister’s Diwan, Sheikh Khaled Mohammed Al-Khaled Al-Sabah.

On another note, the Cabinet expressed its strong condemnation and rejection of the Iranian criminal attack on the sisterly United Arab Emirates using a drone last Monday, which constituted a blatant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and a threat to the security and stability of the region. It reiterated Kuwait’s full solidarity with the UAE, its steadfast support alongside it, and its backing of all measures taken by the UAE to safeguard its sovereignty, protect its security, and preserve its territorial integrity.

In the same context, the Cabinet expressed its strong condemnation and rejection of the Iranian criminal attacks that targeted the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with several missiles in the early hours of last Monday, which constituted a blatant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and a threat to the security and stability of the region. It again reiterated Kuwait’s full solidarity with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, its steadfast support alongside it, and its backing of all measures taken by Jordan to safeguard its sovereignty, protect its security, and preserve its territorial integrity.

On another front, the Cabinet was informed of the results of the official visit last week by His Excellency Minister of Defense Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salim Al-Sabah to Islamabad, the capital of the friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The visit culminated in the signing of a protocol agreement between the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense and the Pakistani Ministry of Defense regarding the operational deployment of the Pakistan Armed Forces in Kuwait. The agreement was signed on the Kuwaiti side by His Excellency the Minister of Defense, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salim Al-Sabah, and on the Pakistani side by the Minister of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Khwaja Muhammad Asif, in the presence of the Chief of the Kuwaiti Land Forces, Major General Khaled Al-Sharhan. This agreement represents an important milestone in the journey of military and defense cooperation between the two countries, as it provides a supportive framework to enhance operational coordination, exchange expertise, and raise the level of readiness and integration between the armed forces, thereby serving mutual interests and contributing to regional security and stability.

His Excellency also discussed with his Pakistani counterpart the bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to enhance the prospects of close cooperation in the military and defense fields. They reviewed the latest regional and international developments and issues of common interest, as well as the efforts made to address them, all of which contribute to supporting security and stability in the region and strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries. Additionally, His Excellency the Minister of Defense, Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salim Al-Sabah, held a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the friendly Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. During the meeting, they discussed existing coordination between the armed forces of the two countries, opportunities to develop areas of joint work, and exchanged views on several topics related to bilateral relations, contributing to the support and development of defense cooperation between the two friendly countries.

On another note, the Cabinet listened to a briefing presented by His Excellency Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah regarding the political and diplomatic efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic missions abroad to keep pace with the latest developments in the regional and international arenas.

In this context, His Excellency Foreign Minister Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his official visit to Beijing, capital of the friendly People’s Republic of China, last week. During the visit, His Excellency met with Han Zheng, Vice President of the friendly People’s Republic of China, conveying greetings from His Highness the Amir of the State, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect him, and from His Highness the Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, may God protect him, and from Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Prime Minister, may God protect him, to His Excellency Xi Jinping, President of the friendly People’s Republic of China, to Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the friendly People’s Republic of China, and to Han Zheng, Vice President of the friendly People’s Republic of China, along with their best wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the government and people of the friendly People’s Republic of China.

The meeting reviewed the long-standing historical bilateral relations between the two friendly countries and their peoples, and discussed ways to develop and enhance the existing strategic partnership across various fields in a manner that serves the common interests of both countries. The latest regional and international developments were also discussed, with an exchange of views on issues of mutual concern.

In addition, His Excellency met with Wang Yi, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the friendly People’s Republic of China. During the meeting, they discussed ways to develop and strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. It was reaffirmed that the current year marks a significant milestone in Kuwait-China relations, coinciding with the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

His Excellency also briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his official visit to Seoul, capital of the friendly Republic of Korea, last week, and his meeting there with Yun Seong-lak, National Security Advisor of the Republic of Korea. During the meeting, they reviewed the close relations between the two friendly countries and ways to enhance them across various fields in a manner that serves the common interests of both sides. The latest regional developments and efforts aimed at de-escalation and enhancing security and stability in the region were also discussed.

Furthermore, His Excellency met with former UN Secretary-General and President of the Global Green Growth Institute, Ban Ki-moon, during His Excellency’s official visit to Seoul. During the meeting, they discussed the latest regional and international developments and exchanged views on them.

His Excellency the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, also briefed the Cabinet on the outcomes of his official visit to Tokyo, the capital of Japan, and his meeting with the Foreign Minister of friendly Japan, Toshimitsu Motegi. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the close historical ties between the two friendly countries and their growing development, particularly following the elevation of relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership last year. The meeting underscored that the current year marks a prominent milestone in the trajectory of Kuwait-Japan relations, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing Kuwait-Japan cooperation across various fields and intensifying coordination and consultation on different levels to serve the shared interests of the two friendly nations. The meeting also discussed recent regional and international developments and exchanged views on issues of common interest, foremost among them developments in the region and diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation and enhancing security and stability.

In the same context, His Excellency the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Jaraah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, briefed the Cabinet on the substance of the phone calls he held and received over the past few days with several foreign ministers from sister and friendly countries. These calls reviewed the latest regional developments and diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation, enhancing security and stability in the region, and ensuring the safety and freedom of maritime navigation.

On another note, the Cabinet approved a draft law decree issuing the Law Regulating Media. This comes in light of the radical transformation occurring globally in the media landscape due to technological and digital developments that have altered means of publication and communication, reshaping concepts of publishing, broadcasting, and influence. This reality has given rise to many new media practices not previously covered by existing media legislation, such as influencer and advertiser accounts, social media platforms, digital re-broadcasting services, and digital advertising. The Cabinet forwarded the draft law decree issuing the Law Regulating Media to His Highness the Amir of the State, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect and guard him.

The Cabinet also approved a draft law decree concerning government sukuk and forwarded it to His Highness the Amir of the State, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, may God protect and guard him.

On another front, the Cabinet reviewed a visual presentation delivered by His Excellency the Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment, Abdulaziz Nasser Al-Marzouq, and His Excellency the Minister of Finance, Dr. Yaqoub Al-Sayed Yousef Al-Rafai, regarding the state’s financial position as of March 31, 2026. The presentation was attended by Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance, Asil Sulaiman Al-Munifi, and Managing Director of the Public Authority for Investment, Sheikh Saud Salem Abdulaziz Al-Sabah. The presentation reflected the financial status of state assets and liabilities, in accordance with Article 150 of the Constitution. The ministers presented data on the General Reserve and the Future Generations Fund, affirming the resilience of the Kuwaiti economy and the strength of the state’s financial position in facing regional and international challenges, given its substantial assets and financial reserves.

The Cabinet also reviewed a visual presentation regarding the first-quarter report on the implementation of budgets for ministries and government entities for the fiscal year 2026/2027, which indicated that non-oil revenues are projected to achieve notable growth during the fiscal year 2026/2027, driven by a series of financial reforms currently being implemented.

For his part, the Cabinet affirmed that these reforms will pave the way for building a more sustainable and competitive economy in the medium and long term. It added that these positive indicators reflect the strength and resilience of the Kuwaiti economy, making it attractive and conducive to drawing foreign investment into Kuwait, and underscoring the success of the state’s policy aimed at economic openness and supporting the trend toward making Kuwait an attractive financial and commercial hub, while providing sustainable employment opportunities for future generations. The Cabinet reviewed a number of items on the agenda, as well as reports and minutes of ministerial committees, and approved them. It also decided to refer several of them to the relevant ministerial committees for study and to submit appropriate recommendations to complete the procedures for their implementation. (End) J.Y. / A.M.H.