World Bulletin / News Desk

Qatar has opened a new military liaison office in Kuwait, a fellow member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Qatar’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.

In a ministry statement, Major-General Ibrahim Saad al-Kubaisi, Qatar’s military attaché in Kuwait, said the move “reflects our common interests and the prospects for cooperation between our two brotherly countries, especially in the defense and military fields”.

The new liaison office, al-Kubaisi added, “will strengthen the bond… between Qatar’s armed forces and Kuwait’s military command by providing the best educational opportunities and training for military cadets”.

Kuwait has maintained neutrality -- and is even playing a mediating role -- in the five-month-old political dispute pitting Qatar against fellow GCC members Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.