Thursday 1 April 2010
On 31st of March 2010, His Excellency Sheikh Thamer Ali Al-Sabah, Vice President of the National Security Bureau of Kuwait delivered the Keynote Address to the third NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC-3).
During his Keynote Address, which was entitled "Gulf Security and NATO's Cooperation with the Countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council", Sheikh Thamer recalled the perennial instability of the Gulf region and its continuing search for regional peace and stability over the past decades.
He highlighted four main challenges and issues affecting regional security, ranging from the long-standing Middle Eastern conflict, to terrorism, to Iran and Iraq. NATO's cooperation with the countries from the Gulf region in the framework of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) has the potential to contribute effectively to peace and stability in the region.
In that regard, the newly established NATO Regional Cooperation Course (NRCC) is contributing to foster greater mutual understanding among officers and diplomats from the Gulf region, the Middle East and from NATO countries and thus to dispel misconceptions.
During the following Q&A session, Sheikh Thamer took the time to answer a wide variety of questions from the course members of NRCC-3 which addressed both the issue of Gulf security, the future of the ICI, as well as regional issues.
Before the Keynote Address, Sheikh Thamer and his accompanying delegation held bilateral meetings with the Commandant of the NATO Defense College, Lieutenant General Wolf-Dieter LOESER, the Dean of the NDC, Dr. Grant T. HAMMOND, as well as the Director of the NATO Regional Cooperation Course, Colonel Sandy GUPTILL.
They agreed on a series of concrete measures of practical cooperation, which include "inter alia" the participation of Kuwaiti officials and diplomats in future NRCC courses, the exchange of lecturers from Kuwait to give lecturers and presentations at the NATO Defense College and to share their expertise with NATO course members, as well as individualised cooperation in the field of joint education and training. In the spirit of joint ownership both sides agreed to further increase cooperation in various areas, notably with the military, diplomats and the police, with the aim of obtaining mutual benefit to both sides.
See this event in the news:
Kuwaiti delegation visits NATO academy, Kuwait News Agency KUNA
Kuwait enters "new stage of cooperation" with NATO, kuwaitsamachar.com
