French defense minister to visit Kuwait

French Foreign Minister Allen Richard will arrive in Kuwait on Sunday for a short visit to Kuwait during which he will hold talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Salem al-Sabah.

Director of the moral guidance department at the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defense Col. Ahmad al-Rahmani told the press on Wednesday that, "Richard's visit is a routine one and falls in the course of his tour on the Gulf region."

Al-Rahmani added that Richard's talks with Kuwaiti officials will "deal with several issues pertaining to defense relations and to strengthening cooperation between Kuwait and France in light of the security agreement signed between the two countries several years earlier."

Earlier, Kuwaiti sources noted an increase in Kuwaiti military purchases from France, especially for Kuwaiti marine force which will receive eight advanced French gun boats by the beginning of the new year.