Bahrain: The Kingdom of Bahrain hosted the fifth meeting of the Policy Advisory Group of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Political Affairs Shaikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa chaired the session, which was attended by senior officials, abassadors and NATO Assistant Secretary-General Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina.The delegations reviewed efforts and achievements made within the framework of the Istanbul Initiative for Cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in terms of consolidating regional and global security and stability.The delegation which was launched in 2004, includes the Kingdom of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait, and the State of Qatar.High-level officials and ambassadors from NATO member states, in addition to observer representatives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council. for the Arab Gulf countries also attended.Shaikh Dr. Abdulla bin Ahmed expressed Bahrain’s pride in hosting the fifth meeting of the Policy Advisory Group of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and the first since the (Covid-19) pandemic.He stressed commitment to enhance cooperation and political and diplomatic dialogue with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and exchanging information and expertise in the scientific, technical and training fields, within the framework of strategic partnership aimed at consolidating security and peace in the Arabian Gulf region and the Middle East.The advisory group discussed issues related to combating terrorism, regional security, defense and maritime security, energy security, cyber security and climate change, and the pivotal role of women in this regard.It also discussed a symposium to be organized by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (DERASAT) on key challenges facing the region in the 21st century, with the participation of diplomatic, intellectual, security and military experts and personalities.
