Six and a half hours there and the same time back. The King made an express visit to Kuwait this Monday to offer, on behalf of Spain, his condolences to the new emir of Kuwait, Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for the death of his brother and previous emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Felipe VI's stay lasted just under an hour, during which time, in addition to offering his condolences, he also held a meeting with the new Kuwaiti president. .
On this occasion, the new head of state has received the foreign delegations that have traveled to Kuwait in a room at the international airport instead of in the royal palace. After getting off the official plane, the King, who was received by the Spanish ambassador, Miguel Moro, went to the aforementioned room where he met the new emir and less than an hour later he returned to the plane to begin his trip. I return to spain.
In the room where the Emir received him, Felipe VI, who was accompanied by the Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs, Luis Cuenca, and senior officials of the King's House, greeted several members of the Kuwaiti Government, including those responsible for the Interior. , Defense and Foreign Affairs, as reported by Zarzuela sources.
The King has been present at similar ceremonies held in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed al Nahyan. died 2022; Oman, due to the death of Qabus Bin Said in 2020, or Saudi Arabia, due to the death of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in 2015.
Sheikh Nawaf died last Saturday at the age of 86 in a hospital in the emirate after three years in power and was buried on Sunday, with the only presence of his male relatives.
The new emir, 83 years old, was already carrying out his duties by delegation from his brother who was ill for several years. Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Meshal, who has two wives and twelve children, must now name his heir from one of his younger brothers or from among his own children, thus following in the wake of some Gulf countries that have broken with the tradition of naming heirs from the same generation and giving way to younger people.
This Monday is the King's first trip to Kuwait, a country he has not yet officially visited. Due to pandemic restrictions, he was unable to travel to Kuwait in September 2020 when the then emir, Sabah al Ahmad al Sabah, died, nor has he done so for other reasons. During his reign, King Juan Carlos made a state and several official visits to Kuwait, the last in April 2014 a few weeks before announcing his abdication.
