Kuwaiti Foreign Minister arrives in Pakistan for bilateral talks

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a two-day official visit to hold bilateral talks.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Jarrah arrived in Islamabad at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

Upon arrival at Islamabad International Airport, the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister was received by Zahid Hussain, Additional Secretary for Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“During the visit, the two sides will hold talks covering the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern,” the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the visit reflected the long-standing fraternal relations between Pakistan and Kuwait, rooted in common history, mutual trust and close cooperation.

The visit comes as Pakistan negotiates an expanded defense pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment.

The talks are still in their early stages, however, and could further be complicated by increased tensions between the United States and Iran, according to five sources familiar with the discussions.

Kuwait has had a limited defense deal with Pakistan covering joint training and exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a broader deal similar to Pakistan’s defense deal with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani ground troops, combat aircraft, drones, air defense system and other defense-related facilities,” a Pakistani government official said.

It is unclear whether Pakistan is willing to go that far, given that its deal with Saudi Arabia is the result of a decades-old close alliance with Riyadh.

This visit comes at a critical time, when new attacks by Iran against Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have exacerbated regional tensions.

Previously, Kuwait had been the target of sustained attacks, with the armed forces claiming to have intercepted Iranian ballistic missiles and drones and that several firefighters and oil workers had been injured while responding to the attacks.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it struck a U.S. military support center at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait and destroyed a radar installation at Ali Al Salem Air Base. The Kuwait Petroleum Corporation later said one of its oil facilities had been hit by “repeated Iranian attacks”, causing significant damage and some injuries, according to the official news agency.