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10 Kuwaiti MPs File No-Confidence Motion Against Finance Minister

Part of the Kuwaiti Parliament’s session on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 (AFP)
Part of the Kuwaiti Parliament’s session on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 (AFP)
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10 Kuwaiti MPs File No-Confidence Motion Against Finance Minister

Part of the Kuwaiti Parliament’s session on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 (AFP)
Part of the Kuwaiti Parliament’s session on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 (AFP)

Ten Kuwaiti lawmakers on Tuesday filed a no-confidence motion against Finance Minister Barak al-Shitan.

According to Kuwait’s Parliament Speaker Marzouq al-Ghanim, the request came after the parliament discussed in its regular session motion filed by MP Riyadh al-Adsani.

Adsani grilled the minister for the second time in a few weeks over almost the same issues and this time accused the minister of attempting to overburden citizens with additional charges.

It includes three axes, the first of which is related to the 2020 economic document, the Public Institution for Social Security, as well as financial issues and misleading of public opinion.

Ghanim said that the parliament “may not issue its decision in this regard before seven days of the submission date,” in accordance with article 102 of the constitution and article 144 of the National Assembly’s regulations.

Voting on the request will take place in a special session on Wednesday, he added.

Ghanim further explained that Article 101 states that “every minister should live up to the responsibilities and duties of their positions, and if the parliament loses confidence in any of the ministers, then they should step down immediately.”

The no-confidence motion can only go through if approved by an “overwhelming majority,” amid a voting process in parliament, one that ministers are barred from taking part, he noted.

The 10 MPs are Rakan al-Nasef, Omar al-Tabtabaei, Mubarak al-Hajraf, Ahmad al-Fadhl, Safa al-Hashem and Khalil al-Saleh, as well as Khaled al-Shatti, Salah Khorshed, Saleh Ashour, and Adasani.

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What Closer Egypt-NATO Ties Could Mean

Part of the event promoting Egypt-NATO ties (Turkish Embassy in Cairo)
Part of the event promoting Egypt-NATO ties (Turkish Embassy in Cairo)
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What Closer Egypt-NATO Ties Could Mean

Part of the event promoting Egypt-NATO ties (Turkish Embassy in Cairo)
Part of the event promoting Egypt-NATO ties (Turkish Embassy in Cairo)

The Turkish and Italian embassies in Cairo have launched a joint initiative aimed at boosting ties between Egypt and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in what experts see as a continuation of Egypt’s long-standing policy of cooperating with the alliance without seeking membership.
During an event hosted by the Turkish Embassy on Thursday evening, Ankara — acting as NATO’s contact point in Egypt — gave a presentation on the alliance’s structure and its partnership with Cairo.
The Turkish Embassy said in an official statement that both Turkish and Italian missions in Egypt have been tasked with supporting NATO’s partnership with Cairo throughout 2025 and 2026.
Türkiye’s ambassador to Egypt said his country will play a key role in facilitating cooperation and communication between Cairo and the NATO, as part of an initiative to boost the partnership between the alliance and Egypt.
Speaking at an event hosted by the Turkish Embassy in Cairo on Thursday, Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen reviewed NATO’s past and present activities, as well as Türkiye’s role as a member of the alliance.

He stopped short of detailing specific areas of upcoming cooperation between Egypt and NATO, describing the relationship as “a partnership within the framework of official relations.”

“Our role is to facilitate the relationship, as the Turkish Embassy serves as NATO’s contact point in Cairo,” Şen told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“In general, we view positively any effort to strengthen ties between Egypt and NATO through the partnership program,” he added.

In January, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a phone call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to discuss escalating threats in the Middle East, including the conflict in Gaza, tensions in the Red Sea, developments in Syria, and instability across the Sahel region.

According to an official readout at the time, Abdelatty welcomed NATO’s efforts to launch a Southern Neighborhood Action Plan, which was adopted at the alliance’s summit in Washington in July 2024.

He also stressed the importance of strengthening NATO’s ties with regional partners to address growing security challenges and said Egypt was keen to expand cooperation in areas such as capacity building, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity.

The Washington summit saw NATO leaders approve a roadmap to step up engagement with its southern neighbors and announced plans to bolster the alliance’s presence in the Middle East and Africa.
Following the summit, Javier Colomina was appointed as the NATO Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighborhood. He visited Egypt on September 19, 2024.
Former Egyptian Deputy Foreign Minister Rakha Ahmed Hassan said Egypt’s cooperation with NATO dates back to the 1990s, with a focus on maritime rescue operations, arms and drug trafficking surveillance, and counterterrorism training.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Hassan said Egypt’s engagement with NATO operates on two levels: direct collaboration with the alliance and bilateral cooperation with individual member states.

“The partnership is limited to training and specific areas of cooperation, without involving military engagement,” he said, noting that Egypt has long followed a policy of working with international alliances without formally joining them.