Kuwait is understood to have stepped up efforts to resolve the ongoing Qatar crisis following a number of regional meetings to discuss the issue.

Kuwait’s First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Hamad al-Sabah and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad al-Abdullah visited Saudi Arabia and Egypt on 7 August.

The Kuwaiti envoy met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and presented a letter from the Kuwaiti Emir regarding the issue, according to Kuwaiti state news agency (KUNA)

KUNA also reported that the envoy would be travelling to the UAE, Oman and Bahrain to meet with each country’s respective leaders.

The latest move from Kuwait comes after the US sent Tim Lenderking, deputy assistant secretary for Arabian Gulf Affairs at the Near East Bureau, to Kuwait to help defuse the tensions with Doha.

It is understood that a number of bilateral talks between Qatar and GCC countries, mediated by Kuwait, have been underway throughout the last couple of months with Turkey and US keen on finding a solution for the fallout soon.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, as well as other Muslim majority countries aligned with Riyadh, severed ties with Doha on 5 June following accusations that it was a sponsor of regional terrorism.

The severing of diplomatic ties resulted in the closing of key transportation links to Qatar. This included the closing of airspace, land and sea borders, raising concerns over Qatar’s ability to import important building materials and food products.