NATO Secretary General opens new cooperation centre in Kuwait

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has attended the inauguration of the NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Regional Centre in Kuwait, reported Anadolu.

Stoltenberg said that the NATO-ICI Centre represents an important milestone in the organisation’s deepening cooperation with Kuwait and the Middle East. The NATO chief stressed that the security of Gulf countries is linked directly to the security of all NATO member states.

“The centre will enhance cooperation between the two sides in many aspects, including strategic analysis, civil emergency planning, and military cooperation,” explained Stoltenberg. “We face common security threats like terrorism, weapons proliferation and cyber-attacks. And we share the same aspirations for peace and for stability.”

The secretary general pointed out that NATO has developed individual cooperation programmes with all of its Gulf partners. “Modern security institutions and well-trained local forces,” he added, “represent our best weapons in the fight against violent extremism.”

Stoltenberg arrived in Kuwait on Monday for a two-day official visit. The NATO-ICI centre’s inauguration ceremony was also attended by representatives from Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.