KUWAIT, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah will visit the U.S. next month to "open a new chapter" of their strategic ties, U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait Lawrence Silverman said Wednesday.
"The visit reflects the very strong, close and strategic partnership between the United States and Kuwait, which is longstanding, but also we are in the process of enhancing that relationship, making it even closer," the U.S. envoy told the Kuwaiti official news agency KUNA in an interview.
This will be the Kuwaiti leader's fourth visit to the U.S. since he took office in 2006. He previously visited Washington in 2006, 2009 and 2013, and also participated in a summit between the U.S. and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at the Camp David in May 2015.
The upcoming U.S. visit, scheduled on Sept. 6, was planned amid Kuwait's efforts to mediate the ongoing standoff between Qatar and the Arab quartet led by Saudi Arabia.
Kuwait has been playing the role of mediator in the standoff which started early June when the quartet, which also includes the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, citing Doha's support of terrorism and interference in their internal affairs.
Washington was throwing its weight behind Kuwait's mediation in the "intra-GCC" political dispute, Silverman said. Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain as well as Qatar are all GCC members.
The U.S. supports Kuwait's mediation because it wants to see an end to this dispute as quickly as possible "for the sake of the region," Silverman noted.
He also praised Kuwait for its plan to host an international conference of donors next year on Iraq's reconstruction of areas liberated from terror group Islamic State.
During the emir's visit, the two countries will hold the second session of the Kuwait-U.S. Strategic Dialogue, which will draw a map for strengthening the Kuwait-U.S. ties in the next 25 years.
"It is really one of the foundation blocks of our relation, as part of the dialogue would be discussing possibilities in even furthering this cooperation. So, it is the whole gambit of relations," Silverman said.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson looks forward to holding talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to continue discussions on enhancing cooperation on defense, fighting terrorism and promoting bilateral trade ties, Silverman said.
Another important aspect of the trade discussion will be the protection of intellectual property rights, he added.
