NATO Boosts Gulf Ties With New Security Projects

At the Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government in Ankara this week, Allied Foreign Ministers met with NATO's partners from the Gulf: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. They took stock of NATO's relations with these countries and exchanged views on issues of mutual interest and concern, including the security situation in the region. Allies reaffirmed their solidarity with Gulf partners and strongly condemned Iran's indiscriminate attacks across the region.

In Ankara, Allies officially launched a new set of Flagship Projects in areas of shared interest with our Gulf partners, including maritime security, countering Uncrewed Aerial Systems, defence against Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) threats, and countering terrorism. Building on more than two decades of cooperation under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), which was launched at the NATO Summit in Istanbul in 2004, these projects are designed to strengthen multilateral cooperation between NATO and the Gulf partners. They will support ICI partners in countering security challenges, while also further leveraging existing capabilities to contribute to NATO's security. The new initiatives will be implemented in close consultation with ICI partners, so that cooperation remains mutually beneficial and adaptable to the evolving international security environment.