Kuwait’s 90-year-old ruling Emir has cancelled a meeting with United States President Donald Trump at the White House to be held on September 12 after being admitted to a U.S. hospital on September 8 following an earlier health scare last month. Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah will undergo unspecified tests during his hospitalization, a state-run news agency reported. It quoted Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah, the minister of the emir’s diwan council, as saying Sheikh Sabah would reschedule his visit with Trump.

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New date for meeting to be announced later

The minister added that a new date for the meeting was expected to be announced later. He too did not specify the type of tests the Kuwaiti ruler was undertaking. Earlier on August 18, local media reported that the 90-year-old Emir had recovered from a setback and is in good health now. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had tweeted that he was “praying for emir’s speedy recovery,” without elaborating.

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Trump wishes the Emir speedy recovery

The White House, in a statement, noted that the US President has wished a speedy recovery to the Emir. 

“The president wishes his friend, the Emir, a speedy recovery and looks forward to welcoming him back to Washington as soon as he is feeling better...The Emir is a well-respected leader and has been a tremendous partner of the United States in tackling challenges in the region," mentioned the statement. 

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Emir's reign and fall in health

Sheikh Sabah has ruled Kuwait since January 2006. A longtime diplomat, he pushed for diplomacy to solve regional issues, such as the ongoing boycott of Qatar by four Arab nations and hosted major donor conferences for war-torn nations like Iraq and Syria. The ruler had a pacemaker implanted in 2000 and underwent successful urinary tract surgery in the United States in August 2007. On Monday, he travelled to the United States where he was due to meet Trump. He is reported to have been hospitalised after that.

(With inputs from Associated Press)

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