Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid receives letter from Kuwaiti emir

Vice President and Ruler of Dubai meets Kuwaiti foreign minister, who delivers a message for President Sheikh Khalifa

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, meets Kuwaiti foreign minister, Ahmad Al Sabah, on Thursday. Wam

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, meet Kuwaiti foreign minister, Ahmad Al Sabah, on Thursday. Wam

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, meet Kuwaiti foreign minister, Ahmad Al Sabah, on Thursday. Wam

Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation; Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group; and Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, attend a meeting with the Kuwaiti foreign minister on Thursday. Wam

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid received a message from the Kuwaiti emir in a meeting with the Gulf country's foreign minister on Thursday.

The Vice President and Ruler of Dubai met Ahmad Al Sabah to receive the letter on behalf of President Sheikh Khalifa. They each wore face masks and sat two metres apart, in keeping with Covid-19 safety regulations.

The meeting was held outdoors at Al Marmoom Conservation Reserve, where they discussed the importance of solidarity between the two nations.

Sheikh Mohammed praised the late emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad, who died in September, and his work to promote peace among the Gulf and Arab world, state news agency Wam reported.

"Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad, emir of the State of Kuwait, is a good successor to the best predecessors ... we wish him continued health and happiness," Sheikh Mohammed said.

In the letter to Sheikh Khalifa, Sheikh Nawaf spoke of the strong ties between the UAE and Kuwait, regional developments and the work of the Gulf Co-operation Council to further national goals.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, and Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, attended the meeting.

Also in attendance were Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed, chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group; and Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs.

The UAE and Kuwait enjoy very close ties with diplomatic relations spanning decades.

After the invasion of Kuwait in 1992, the UAE condemned the Iraqi aggression and supported Kuwaiti independence.

Since then, the two nations' relations have gone from strength to strength. Both countries are members of the GCC.

The UAE is also the ninth largest market for Kuwaiti exports worldwide.

Non-oil trade between the two countries increased from $7 billion in 2016 to $10.5 billion in 2019, enabling Kuwait to become UAE’s fifth largest market for non-oil exports.