LOC01:49
22:49 GMT
Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis
WASHINGTON, Dec 29 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis called Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah to congratulate him on his new position.
During the conversation, Mattis "expressed appreciation for the longstanding strategic partnership between the United States and Kuwait grounded in the 1991 liberation of Kuwait," the Pentagon said in a statement on Friday.
"Secretary Mattis thanked the minister for his nation's commitment to hosting U.S. troops," according to the statement.
He also "welcomed Kuwait's critical help mediating the rift among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council," and emphasized "the importance of deescalating tensions so all partners in the Gulf region can focus efforts against common threats." (end)
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