- NATO has announced new security projects with Gulf partner countries under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
- The initiatives include counter-drone, CBRN defence, maritime security and counter-terrorism projects.
- The projects were discussed during a meeting between Javier Colomina and Admiral Pierre Vandier following their launch at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
The initiatives were discussed during a visit by NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, to Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, US, on 15 and 16 July.
During the visit, Colomina met Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, to discuss the implementation of the new ‘ICI Flagship Projects’, which were launched at the NATO Summit in Ankara earlier this month.
The projects form part of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), a partnership programme involving Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
According to NATO, the flagship projects will focus on several key security priorities, including maritime security, countering uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, and counter-terrorism.
The alliance said the initiatives are intended to help ICI partner countries address evolving security challenges while also enabling them to contribute to NATO’s wider security objectives through the use of existing capabilities.
The discussions at Allied Command Transformation centred on translating the newly announced projects into practical activities under the framework of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
The programme represents NATO’s continued engagement with its Gulf partners on shared security priorities, with the latest projects placing particular emphasis on emerging threats such as drones and CBRN risks alongside more established areas including maritime security and counter-terrorism.
