Sisi in Kuwait for regional issues summit

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi on Monday arrived in Kuwait for a two-day visit to the Gulf state.

During his visit, al-Sisi, who is visiting the country for the first time as president, is expected to discuss the latest regional developments and the fight against terrorism with Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

The Kuwaiti emir, along with top officials from his country, received al-Sisi at Kuwait International Airport upon his arrival.

Accompanying the Egyptian president is a large government delegation that includes the ministers of foreign affairs, petroleum, international cooperation and investment.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah said Sunday that his country would monitor the reconciliation between Egypt and Qatar, whose relations were strained following the ouster by the Egyptian army of elected President Mohamed Morsi in July of 2013.

"Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad is the emir of the state of Qatar," al-Sabah said at a meeting with an Egyptian media delegation in Kuwait City. "He is responsible for this file [Egypt-Qatar reconciliation]."

He added that his country would also seek to remove any obstacles to achieving reconciliation.

"Egypt is the elder brother of all Arab countries," al-Sabah said. "The elder brother has to forgive the mistakes of younger brothers."

Saudi efforts recently succeeded in partially thawing relations between Cairo and Doha, whose relations deteriorated dramatically following Morsi's ouster by the Egyptian army.

Qatari media, including Al Jazeera's Mubasher Misr news channel, regularly described Morsi's ouster as a military coup and had allowed the ousted president's supporters to criticise Egypt's post-Morsi authorities.

Cairo had viewed this as "interference" in its domestic affairs and had asked Qatar to deport several Morsi supporters wanted by the Egyptian authorities.

Earlier this month, however, a special envoy dispatched by the emir of Qatar had met the Egyptian president in Cairo for the first time since the latter came to power in June of last year.

A short time later, Saudi Arabia said that both Cairo and Doha had accepted its reconciliation initiative.