(MENAFN- QNA) HE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Maj. Gen. Hamad bin Ali Al Attiyah on Thursday opened the NATO and Gulf Security conference, which is organized by the Foreign Ministry in association with NATO's Political Affairs and Security Policy Division on the occasion of celebrating the tenth anniversary of Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI).
A number of GCC ministers attended the opening ceremony along with a group of senior Qatari officials, military commanders and NATO officials.
In his opening address, HE Al Attiyah said the threats facing the world and the Middle East in particular require wide-scale extra effort among all parties of the international community, noting that the threat of Daesh group and other extremist organizations necessitates, besides military operations, drawing a clear strategy to restore stability in Syria and putting a clear and transparent mechanism from all the sides to support the Free Syrian Army and work together to take Syria out of its current crisis.
He underlined the importance of rebuilding the capacities of Iraqi troops, blocking the flow of foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq, drying up sources of financial support for Daesh and other terrorist groups.
HE Al Attiyah added that the tragic situation in Syria and Iraq, in addition to what is happening in Yemen and Libya, requires further cooperation between ICI member states and NATO in order to find a solution to end conflicts in these countries, expressing his confidence that NATO and partner countries can play a major role in tackling these challenges.
In addition, he said that GCC states and NATO member states share common interests that require protection, pointing out that, since joining the agreement, ICI member states have sought to take advantage of opportunities in the areas of dialogue and practical cooperation within the framework of the initiative.
He added that the current partnership between ICI member states and NATO is a significant strategic tool in assisting the two sides in facing current and future challenges in the region.
Al Attiyah said the significance of the conference stems from its agenda as well as the relations between ICI and NATO, and issues related to developments the international community is currently seeing.
He congratulated NATO on the tenth anniversary of launching ICI, noting that the conference is a good opportunity to make the relationship more fruitful and effective.
The single-day conference reviews a set of important issues, including ICI, regional security challenges, and future prospects of ICI.
Doha, December 11 - For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called for deeper political and practical cooperation with Gulf partners in his keynote address at the North Atlantic Council – Istanbul Cooperation Initiative seminar here.
Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and hosts Qatar, the four partner of the ICI, joined ambassadors of NATO's 28 countries at the seminar to mark 10th anniversary of this partnership.
In his address during the opening session of the conference, Stoltenberg said, "The launch of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative sent a very strong signal that security and stability of Gulf region is important to NATO. Just as the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area is important to the Gulf." He mentioned Qatar was among the first countries to establish a close practical relationship with NATO.
As well as regular consultations, we conduct a wide range of practical cooperation. From military training and education to crisis management, he said.
"For 10 years, NATO's relations with the Gulf partners have grown deeper and stronger. And this is good, because the more we cooperate, the safer we will be. We need to protect our sea lanes, energy supply, and critical infrastructure, and cyber-networks, stop the trafficking of people and drugs.
"Earlier this year, Kuwait became the first of our Gulf partners to conclude an Individual Partnership Cooperation Programme with NATO. I hope that Qatar and other Gulf partners will soon follow suit," the secretary general said.
The seminar is being held in Doha not only to celebrate ten years of the partnership but also for a discussion of shared security challenges including terrorism and extremism, notably the threat of Daesh, which, Stoltenberg said, "poses a grave threat to the Iraqi and the Syrian people, the wider region, and all of our nations." "Dealing with this threat demands a long-term, multinational effort. It must integrate political and economic measures, as well as military action. And we welcome that the United States has rallied nations behind such a broad coalition," he added.
The conference also tackles the issues of maritime security, and cyber security and possible ways to address them together. Ambassadors will take stock of the partnership to date, and consider the road ahead.
Today's conference follows the North Atlantic Council's visit to Amman, Jordan earlier in the week, where the Secretary General and ambassadors marked the 20th anniversary of the Mediterranean Dialogue partnership.
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