KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanem .

KUWAIT: Kuwait's National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem on Friday stressed the importance of solidarity in light of recent regional developments, adding that Kuwaitis have gone through more difficult circumstances. Regarding the recent political developments, Ghanem tweeted that the matter foreshadows seriousness, which requires rationale, social solidarity and support for the political leadership.

Meanwhile, a government official said that the State of Kuwait is attentively following up on recent rapid regional developments and their repercussions. In a press release, head of the Center for Government Communication (CGC) and official Cabinet spokesman Tareq Al-Mezrem called on all individuals to avoid discourse that might affect national unity and lead to division and trouble. He added that the government had the legal right to pursue those threatening security and stability in the country, especially during the current turbulent situation.

Mezrem affirmed that the Kuwaiti government was keen on bolstering freedom of speech and expression within the mainframe of the constitution and law. He called on citizens to promote dialogue in favor of national unity and exercise their rights in a manner that would not defame any sector of society, avoiding all efforts to spread rumors and false information and seek news from official sources.

His statement came on the backdrop of the killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, and the second man in command of the Iraqi Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi irregular force Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandes were killed in an US military operation near Baghdad International Airport earlier on Friday. Iran's Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the Swiss charge d'affaires, tasked with looking after American interests in the nation, against the backdrop of killing Soleimani in Iraq.