On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Prince Naif will attend Kuwait’s national celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of its liberation from the Iraqi occupation.

The celebrations also mark the 50th anniversary of the country's independence from Britain and the fifth anniversary of Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s accession to the throne of the country in 2006. 

The emir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received Prince Naif at the Kuwait International Airport.

Prince Khaled bin Sultan, Saudi assistant minister of defense and aviation for military affairs, also arrived in Kuwait on Friday to join the celebrations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

Kuwait gained independence from Britain in 1961.

In August 1990, however, Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait and annexed it as the 19th province of Iraq. The Iraqi occupation ended seven months later after a multinational armed intervention led by the United States in what became known as the Gulf War of 1991.