Nato chief to open centre in Kuwait
Facility will help Nato deepen cooperation with Gulf partners, Stoltenberg says
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the permanent representatives at the North Atlantic Council will visit Kuwait tomorrow, the military alliance has said.
Stoltenberg and the Nato ambassadors will attend the ceremony to inaugurate the Nato Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Regional Centre in Kuwait City, the first such presence in the region.
The Nato chief is scheduled to have meetings with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Shaikh Jaber Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Shaikh Sabah Khalid Al Sabah and other officials, Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported on Saturday.
A meeting of the North Atlantic Council with senior representatives of the four ICI partner countries will follow the opening ceremony, with the participation of the GCC secretary general and representatives of Oman and Saudi Arabia. The ICI which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE was launched in Istanbul in 2004 to develop security and defence cooperation between the Arab Gulf states and Nato.
“I thank Kuwait for its generosity and commend its active role in promoting regional security,” Stoltenberg told the Kuwaiti news agency.
“The Nato-ICI Centre represents an important milestone in Nato’s deepening cooperation with Kuwait and the entire region.”
The centre will be a hub for cooperation between the alliance and Gulf partners in a wide range of areas, including strategic analysis, civil emergency planning, militaryto-military cooperation and public diplomacy, he added.
The centre will also facilitate the sharing of expertise and improve understanding between Nato and Kuwait, as well as with Bahrain, Qatar and the UAE.
“Last year, I toured the construction site, and in a few days, I will be in Kuwait again to celebrate the centre’s opening,” Stoltenberg said.
“The security of the Gulf is directly linked to the security of all Nato allies. We share the same aspirations for peace and stability, and we share common security threats, such as terrorism, weapons proliferation and failing states. The shared security challenges make it even more important that we work more closely together. That is exactly why we are reinforcing our political dialogue and practical cooperation.”