KUWAIT CITY -- Kuwait's new Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammad Sabah as-Salem as-Sabah, in his meeting with Iran's Ambassador Seyed Ja'far Mousavi labeled his country's relations with Iran as the best model of highest level of cooperation and excellent ties for the other countries. Sheikh Muhammad Sabah added, "We hope our two countries' excellent relations would convince the other countries in the region that they can achieve great objectives, and boost regional security through cooperation and good will."

The Kuwait foreign minister who had received the written congratulation message of his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi earlier during the meeting, meanwhile asked Mousavi to thank him for sending the message on the occasion of his appointment as Kuwait's minister of foreign affairs, IRNA reported. He said, "Kuwait would soon be chosen as the rotating head of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) and I hope during our presidency we could assist in strengthening Iran's relations with the other members of the PGCC." The Iranian ambassador, too, while congratulating the new Kuwaiti foreign minister, announced, "Keeping in mind the new security arrangements in the region following the ousting of Saddam's regime in Iraq, Iran is ready for any kind of cooperation with the PGCC member states to boost the regional security." Mousavi said, "We are glad to notice that President Mohammad Khatami's detente policy, and Iran's confidence building have been so warmly welcomed by regional countries, particularly by the brother country of Kuwait." He said, "Frequenting of highest ranking political and economic delegations between Tehran and Kuwait City is a sign for ultimately high relations between the two countries." Mousavi concluded, "The Iran-Kuwait ties had never been so flourishing in the history of the two countries, and now we can surely claim that the two countries' officials have full trust in the good will of each other."