KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chairs the cabinet's meeting yesterday. - KUNA

KUWAIT: The Kuwaiti Cabinet yesterday welcomed the recent release and home-return of Qatari and Saudi nationals who were held captives by armed groups in Iraq for over a year. This came during the cabinet's customary weekly meeting held under chairmanship of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

The cabinet also offered heartfelt and sincere condolences to the Saudi government and people over the victims of a Saudi military plane crash during a mission in Yemen, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Acting Minister of Information Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah said in a press statement following the meeting.

It sharply condemned a recent terrorist attack on a church in Egypt's Sinai, which left a policeman killed and two others wounded, in addition to another terrorist attack in Paris. In this context, it reiterated Kuwait's denunciation of such acts that run counter to all religions and human values and norms.

Meanwhile, the cabinet congratulated the Turkish government on the success of the recent referendum for the country's constitutional changes, wishing the Turkish people everlasting progress and prosperity.

At the onset of the meeting, the cabinet was apprised of the outcomes of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's visit to Kuwait, which focused on bilateral relations and the latest regional and international developments. First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah briefed the ministers on the outcomes of recent visits by the German and Hungarian foreign minister to Kuwait.

Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled also elaborated on his talks with visiting US Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the so-called Islamic State (IS), Brett McGurk. Afterwards, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Anas Al-Saleh expounded on his participation in recent annual meetings of Arab financial institutions in Rabat.

The cabinet welcomed the visit of Tawadros II, the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark, to Kuwait within the framework of his efforts to promote peace and amity in the Arab region and entire world. Furthermore, the ministers approved a draft decree to set up military procurement committees in line with Article 2 of Law 49/2016 regarding tenders, along with another a draft degree pertinent to a memo of understanding (MoU) on industrial cooperation between Kuwait and Iraq. - KUNA