Kuwait and Egypt Seek to Resolve Map Crisis

Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, attends the 160th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 06 September 2023 (EPA)
Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, attends the 160th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 06 September 2023 (EPA)
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Kuwait and Egypt Seek to Resolve Map Crisis

Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, attends the 160th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 06 September 2023 (EPA)
Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, attends the 160th ordinary session of the Arab League Council at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, 06 September 2023 (EPA)

Kuwait and Egypt are hoping to resolve a dispute over a map that came to light on Wednesday.

The crisis erupted over the omission of Kuwait from an unofficial map of the Arab world that was used during a military training lecture in Egypt.

Kuwaiti officers were present at the lecture and they promptly expressed their outrage over the omission. The lecturers swiftly offered an apology for the mishap.

The Kuwait Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held a telephone call with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry to discuss the issue.

Shoukry clarified to Al-Sabah that the omission was an unintentional mistake and a probe has been launched into the issue to hold those responsible to account.

He underscored the strength of the historic relations that bind the Kuwaiti and Egyptian governments and people.

“Such unintentional incidents cannot undermine the fraternity between the brotherly countries in any way whatsoever,” he stressed.

The incident sparked outrage in Kuwait. MP Hamad al-Matar urged the defense and foreign ministers to take the necessary stand over Kuwait’s sovereignty, praising the Kuwaiti officers for leaving the lecture hall in protest.

He demanded that the lecturer offer an apology and present an actual map of the Arab world that includes Kuwait, warning against the repetition of such “reckless acts”.

MP Saud al-Asfour also demanded an apology, urging the defense and foreign ministries to take a clear stand on the issue.



Saudi Arabia Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Ceasefire in Lebanon

 A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)
A resident walks amid the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Zibqin on November 27, 2024, as people who had fled the war between Israel and Hezbollah returned to check on their homes after a ceasefire between the warring sides took effect. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Wednesday the ceasefire in Lebanon, hailing the international efforts that helped achieve it.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry hoped the ceasefire would lead to the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, security and stability, and ensure the safe return of the displaced to their homes.

The Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the ceasefire, commending all efforts that contributed to ending the conflict and expressed its hope for continued security and stability for Lebanon and its people under its national sovereignty.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation stressed the need for all parties to commit to the ceasefire agreement through the full implementation of Resolution 1701.

OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha underscored his full support for Lebanon’s stability and the right of its state to exercise its sovereignty across all Lebanese territories.

He called for humanitarian aid to meet the needs of those affected and for reconstructing what was destroyed in the war.

Moreover, he hoped that the ceasefire in Lebanon would pave the way for an immediate halt to the Israeli assault on Gaza and all occupied Palestinian territories.