NATO-ICI meeting in Kuwait to take stock of progress made in ICI - Official

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) By Sara Almezel

KUWAIT, Dec 15 (KUNA) -- The purpose of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO's principal political decision-making body, with "our Gulf partners" at the NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait is to take stock of the progress made within the framework of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), said a NATO official on Sunday. In a briefing session, the official said, "The meeting is to discuss common way forward to make our partnership even more efficient." The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative was launched at the NATO Summit in Istanbul in 2004. Since then it has been the bedrock of NATO's relationship with four of the Gulf countries - Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, he said.
A lot has been achieved so far, he said, adding, "We have conducted a wide range of practical activities, including for instance military training and education, crisis management and dealing with natural and man-made disasters." The NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait which the NATO Secretary General inaugurated in 2017 has played an important role in this regard.
"We have welcomed more than 1000 officers and experts from NATO and the Gulf there, for joint training, cooperation and capacity building. "We are also working together to develop national expertise and resilience on crisis management, cyber security, energy security, maritime security, and defence against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats," he said.
Furthermore, the Centre has helped NATO's outreach to the Gulf Cooperation Council, to Saudi Arabia and Oman. "The security of our Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partners is of strategic importance to NATO. The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative remains a unique platform in which to discuss security issues of common concern. "With instability in the Middle East and North Africa, NATO's partnerships are more valuable than ever," he added.
The recent NATO meeting in London, leaders reaffirmed that NATO is a defensive Alliance and poses no threat to any country and work to increase security for all. "In this respect, NATO have strengthened partnerships in neighborhood and beyond and we deepened political dialogue, support, and engagement with partner countries and international organizations," the official added. (end) ss

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