Venezuela’s Maduro visits Kuwait, speaks to crown prince

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro visited Kuwait on Monday and spoke to the small, oil-rich nation's crown prince, state media reported.

“We are on this necessary tour to reactivate ties of work, cooperation, commonality, solidarity, brotherhood,” Maduro said from Kuwait in a televised conversation with his collaborators in Caracas.

Maduro spoke with Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmed Al Jaber at Kuwait International Airport alongside Maduro’s delegation, including his wife, Cilia Flores, state-run KUNA news agency reported, without detailing their discussions.

Venezuela's state-run broadcaster VTV noted Kuwait and Venezuela both were part of the original members of the oil cartel OPEC. Maduro's Twitter account said the president wanted to expand on those ties.

Maduro's visit comes after he traveled to Tehran, Iran, for meetings over the weekend, including with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Maduro is on a Eurasia tour after President Joe Biden decided not to invite him to the Summit of the Americas, which began Thursday. His earlier stops included Algeria and Turkey.

The Associated Press