BRUSSELS, April 1: Kuwait was the first Gulf state to join the Istanbul Convention Initiative and has played a pioneering role in strengthening relations between NATO and the GCC, said Kuwait’s Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission to the EU and NATO, Nawaf Al-Enezi.

In remarks to KUNA, Al-Enezi added that the relationship between Kuwait and NATO is characterized by close cooperation, both in traditional security and in confronting emerging security threats, particularly in cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and energy security. Kuwait has actively participated in NATO-led initiatives focusing on intelligence sharing, cyber defense strategies, and countering hybrid threats, said the ambassador. He stressed that Kuwait and NATO have agreed on a regional action plan for 2025, which includes more than 21 sessions and events, enhancing cooperation and capacity building initiatives. The ambassador noted that NATO and Kuwait cooperate on several training programs and capacity-building initiatives aimed at enhancing interoperability, modernizing military capabilities, and addressing evolving security threats. He added that the NATO-Istanbul Initiative Center in Kuwait plays a pivotal role in organizing specialized workshops and courses on defense strategy, counterterrorism, women’s empowerment, crisis management, and cybersecurity. In September 2024, Kuwait organized a high-level celebration at the UN General Assembly to mark the 20th anniversary of the initiative, under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The State of Kuwait celebrates today the 21st anniversary of its proclamation as a non-NATO strategic ally to the United States of America. Kuwait earned this designation, April 1, 2004, for its pivotal role in supporting security, stability in the region and the world. Washington’s move bolstered further the close Kuwaiti- US relations and crowned historic ties dating back to 1951 when the first US consulate was opened in the Gulf country. Declaring Kuwait as a strategic ally of a non-member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to the United States followed a visit to the US by the late Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah in September 2003. With this designation, Kuwait became entitled to acquire modern military technology, engage in a permanent partnership with the US with prerogatives and preference in trades and cooperation in the economic and scientific realms.

NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighborhood, Javier Colomina, said on Tuesday that the NATO-Istanbul Initiative Center hosted in Kuwait provides a platform for political dialogue between NATO and its Gulf partners. The center allows for discussions on global security challenges, developing a shared understanding, and identifying opportunities for practical cooperation. Since its inauguration in January 2017, the center has become an important regional hub for cooperation on security issues between NATO and the region through political dialogue, education, training, and public diplomacy, said Colomina in a statement to KUNA. The center has conducted 101 events under political dialogue (events, conferences, and visits) and 56 military training courses. He pointed out that in 2024, the center addressed topics such as climate change, food security, maritime security, and more with participation from NATO and Kuwait, including NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Ambassador Boris Ruge, and Commodore Sheikh Mubarak Ali Al-Sabah, Director General of Kuwait’s Coast Guard.

Colomina noted that one of the center’s objectives is to target youth, as the center hosted the “Young Ambassadors” program in February 2025 in cooperation with the British and Canadian embassies as well as the United Nations. He emphasized that the bilateral partnership between Kuwait and NATO includes political dialogue and practical cooperation, especially in cybersecurity and counterterrorism, as agreed in the “Partnership Program” in 2024, which continues until 2027.

Colomina added that Kuwait participates in multilevel political consultations to exchange views on peace and security issues in the Gulf and the Middle East. Kuwaiti civilians and military personnel participate in courses and training programs provided by NATO in areas such as civil emergency planning, counterterrorism, defense reform, and nuclear nonproliferation. He mentioned that Kuwait was the first country to join the Istanbul Initiative in 2004, which reflects mutual interests between NATO and its Gulf partners. Moreover, he emphasised that this initiative has two main pillars: political dialogue and practical cooperation, and that currently, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE are involved. Colomina referred to the visit made by former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to Kuwait in 2019 to mark the 15th anniversary of the initiative, as well as the special celebration of the initiative’s 20th anniversary organized under the patronage of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. He explained that at the NATO Washington Summit in July 2024, alliance leaders approved an action plan to expand NATO’s strategic and effective approach toward the Gulf, the Middle East, and Africa, focusing on strengthening the use of existing mechanisms such as the NATO-Istanbul Initiative Center. (KUNA)