Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al Sabah has called for “common sense” to prevail amid tensions between Iran and the US.
Sheikh Ahmad, speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, said he hoped a peaceful resolution could be found before the situation deteriorated further.
“I hope everybody will apply common sense in solving problems, especially in this area,” he said in his address, referring to the dispute between the US and Iran.
The US and Iran are to resume nuclear talks in Turkey on Friday, according to officials from both countries.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi are scheduled to meet in Istanbul in an effort to reach an agreement over Iran's nuclear programme, Reuters reported.
“Hopefully, a peaceful solution will be reached. If war started then God knows what will happen. Let’s hope for the best,” Sheikh Ahmad said. “We can’t live in a world that is not controlled properly.”
He added that stability requires obeying established rules and mechanisms that have evolved over many years.
Kuwait, he said, would always choose diplomacy having known from experience how devastating conflict can be.
“Kuwait is a country who knows the bitterness of occupation [referring Saddam Hussein's invasion in 1990], and we believe peace is a major key for development,” he added. “Kuwait will always support dialogue, respect sovereignty and build bridges with its diplomatic tolerance policy.”
Sheikh Ahmad also told the summit how changes were taking effect in his home country.
“Last year, we took steps to enhance financial stability through the economy. We are building a diverse and sustainable economy in collaboration with the private sector,” he added. “We are building a new system for transportation and logistics services to position Kuwait as a hub between continents.”
Work was under way, he said, to provide a railway network connecting Kuwait to Riyadh, while supporting supply chains and transport across the Gulf.
Last year, The National reported how the highly anticipated rail service across the entire Gulf region was on track to open by December 2030. The project spans almost 2,120km through the six Gulf countries, connecting Kuwait and Oman.
“Governments are not measured for their strong economy but with their quality of services,” Sheikh Ahmad said. “The future is not for those who hesitate, Kuwait made a decision to create its future and lead the change. We will work with the world to build sustainable and stable development.”
