Riyadh Prepares to Host Strategic GCC Dialogues with Russia, India

Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
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Riyadh Prepares to Host Strategic GCC Dialogues with Russia, India

Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)
Gulf foreign ministers and GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi meet in Doha in June. (GCC)

The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries will meet in Riyadh on Monday for their 161st Ministerial Council. They will also hold joint separate meetings with their counterparts from Russia, India and Brazil.

GCC Secretary-General Dr. Jassim Mohammed Al Budawi said in August that the Ministerial Council will tackle several issues related to joint Gulf work, and regional and international developments.

The members of the council will hold a number of joint ministerial meetings with several countries to discuss cooperation and coordination and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The ministers will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the seventh GCC-Russia strategic dialogue. The two parties had previously underscored the importance of the dialogue between them to achieve common interests and deepen relations.

They had approved the Gulf-Russian 2023-2028 joint plan that is aimed at strengthening ties and exchanging expertise in several areas.

The parties last met in Moscow in July. They agreed to intensify efforts to achieve peace, security, stability and prosperity around the world.

They agreed to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of nations and to refrain from meddling in their internal affairs. They stressed the need to confront challenges and crises through peaceful means, prioritize dialogue and resolve conflicts through negotiations.

The meeting welcomed GCC efforts to pave the way for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine.

The GCC ministers will also meet with their Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the first ever between the two sides.

They will also hold joint talks with Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, who was invited to Riyadh by Al Budawi during a visit to Brazil in June.

Officials are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding and joint work plan aimed at bolstering and developing relations between them.



Saudi, Qatari FMs Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi, Qatari FMs Discuss Regional Developments

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Wednesday.

During the call, they reviewed the latest developments and current situation in the region, in light of the ongoing coordination and consultation between the two countries, SPA said.


Kuwait Transfers Arriving Flights to Alternative Airports after ‘Criminal’ Iran Attack

Planes are seen at Kuwait International Airport. (KUNA)
Planes are seen at Kuwait International Airport. (KUNA)
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Kuwait Transfers Arriving Flights to Alternative Airports after ‘Criminal’ Iran Attack

Planes are seen at Kuwait International Airport. (KUNA)
Planes are seen at Kuwait International Airport. (KUNA)

Iran carried out a drone strike on a passenger terminal at Kuwait International Airport, wounding several people and forcing air traffic to be suspended, Kuwaiti officials said on Wednesday.

Ministry of defense spokesman Brigadier General Saud Abdulaziz Al-Atwan described the attack as "criminal Iranian aggression which resulted in significant material damage to the building and injuries."

Al-Atwan, in a social media post, did not say how many people were hurt, but said those wounded had received medical care.

Kuwait's state news agency said civil aviation authorities had suspended traffic and transferred arriving flights to alternative airports after "Terminal One came under Iranian attacks causing casualties and damage".

The Gulf nation has been on the receiving end of Iranian attacks since the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed its senior leadership in late February.


Kuwait Arrests 3 Fugitive Prisoners

 The Kuwait City skyline is pictured from across the waterfront along the Gulf in Salimiyah on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
The Kuwait City skyline is pictured from across the waterfront along the Gulf in Salimiyah on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Kuwait Arrests 3 Fugitive Prisoners

 The Kuwait City skyline is pictured from across the waterfront along the Gulf in Salimiyah on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
The Kuwait City skyline is pictured from across the waterfront along the Gulf in Salimiyah on June 2, 2026. (AFP)

Kuwait’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday the arrest of three fugitive prisoners who had escaped a correctional facility.

A statement said they were detained following intense security operations by relevant agencies. Two firearms were found in their possession.

Unofficial accounts on social media said the prisoners had escaped at the early hours of dawn days earlier after creating an opening in an interior wall and crawling through the air ventilation vents.

They headed towards an unused surveillance tower where they used improvised rope, made of clothes fabrics, to climb down the outer wall of the facility and make their escape.

One unofficial account said one of the fugitives headed to his family home to change his clothes and access his vehicle before his mother discovered him.

She quickly informed the authorities, which helped facilitate the search and arrest operations.

Kuwaiti authorities have not released any official statements to confirm these reports.

The Interior Ministry stressed that the security agencies will continue to perform their duties firmly to arrest anyone attempting to violate the law and undermine security and general order.

The safety of society is a top priority, it declared, vowing to take legal measures against anyone proven to have been involved in abetting suspects.