“A BLESSED visit to the honorable country” - this title can summarize the visit of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It signifies the strong bond between the two countries, marked by the numerous significant milestones that reaffirm the historic cohesion between them, starting with the departure of the late King Abdulaziz bin Saud from Kuwait to unify the vast kingdom, passing through the historical fraternal solidarity between the two nations, all the way to the decisive stance taken by the late King Fahad bin Abdulaziz during the Iraqi invasion in 1990.
Everyone remembers his statement at the time - “Kuwait must return, otherwise Saudi Arabia will also go with Kuwait. If Kuwait’s dignity is gone, Saudi Arabia’s dignity is gone once and for all. There is no Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. There is only one country; either we live together or we perish together.”
Indeed, the dignity of Saudi Arabia is the dignity of Kuwait. That is why for more than 130 years of a unified fate, no one has been able to disturb the peaceful relations between these two nations. All the loudest trumpets have been unable to undermine the friendship between the Saudis and Kuwaitis, or drive a wedge between them.
Therefore, the positions of the two countries always highlight the historic unity between them.
From this standpoint came King Fahad’s response when the Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Fahad called him to tell, “The Kuwaitis are here, what should we do?” The late King Fahad responded by saying, “Do all that is necessary to be done”.
On that day, the doors were opened for the Kuwaitis. Royal orders were issued to the banks to deal with the Kuwaiti currency at its normal exchange rate, which was the rate before the invasion.
I also remember quite well that King Salman bin Abdulaziz, who was then the Prince of Riyadh, issued his instructions that day to open the homes of all the city’s residents to Kuwaitis, just as we remember what King Salman said in 1986, “If there is aggression against Kuwait, I will be the first to carry a gun in defense of it.”
These historical relations between Kuwait and Riyadh were, and still are, in accordance with the fraternal vision based on the respect of the two nations and countries for each other.
Therefore, any malady that befalls either of them is reflected in the other, because the relationship between the two nations is deep-rooted and well manifested by the leadership of the two countries, ensuring the deepening of brotherly relations.
From this standpoint, the reception for His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad in Riyadh and the brotherly embrace between His Highness the Amir and the Royal Highness of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, symbolically expresses the extent of the interconnectedness between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
Yes, Saudi Arabia has translated what King Salman bin Abdulaziz said in 1986. Four years later, it dedicated its blood, breath and all its capabilities for the return of Kuwait.
In this manner, the late King Fahad also believed that “the dignity of Kuwait is the dignity of Saudi Arabia”, which is why the Kuwaiti right triumphed over Saddam’s oppression.
Therefore, the blessed visit is a new confirmation that what brings the two countries together is the manifestation of the 130 years of fraternity, love, and historic cohesion.
By Ahmed Al-Jarallah
Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times
