NATO, Kuwait partnership ‘long-standing’

Al-Budaiwi heads team to organization’s HQ

BRUSSELS, Nov 16, (KUNA): A high-level delegation from various ministries and the armed forces of the State of Kuwait visited NATO headquarters from Nov 11-14 to share views on their partnership with NATO and discuss the way ahead through the renewal of the NATOKuwait Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme.

According to a NATO announcement titled “NATO and Kuwait move their long-standing partnership forward,” posted on its website Thursday evening, the Kuwait delegation was headed by Ambassador Jassem Al-Budaiwi, Head of the Mission of the State of Kuwait to NATO and Sheikh Fawaz Al-Sabah, Assistant Undersecretary at the National Security Bureau of Kuwait (NSB).

NATO was represented by Giovanni Romani, Head of the NATO Middle East and North Africa Section of the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division and included representatives from other divisions of NATO’s International Staff and International Military Staff.

During the visit, the Kuwaiti delegation also discussed the review and planning of the activities of the NATO-ICI (Istanbul Cooperation Initiative) Regional Centre and held talks with representatives from the other Gulf Cooperation Council States, it said.

The NATO-ICI Regional Centre is based in Kuwait and was inaugurated in 2017. Activities at the NATO-ICI Regional Centre are open to all member countries of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Gulf Cooperation Council, it noted.

More than 900 representatives from Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been trained and participated at the Centre since its inauguration in 2017, it added.