NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood wraps up his visit to Kuwait
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NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Mr Javier Colomina, travelled to Kuwait on 8 May 2025, for the first time in his new capacity. He met with high level officials from Kuwait, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. He also participated in an event organised by the NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Regional Centre on “Security cooperation, partnerships, and NATO in light of an evolving geopolitical landscape in the Gulf,” which featured a discussion with the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizations, His Excellency Abdulaziz Al Jarallah, moderated by Dr Bader Al Saif from Kuwait University.
Mr. Colomina hailed the continued development of NATO-Kuwait relations and highlighted the wide scope of activities carried out by the NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Regional Centre. “Kuwait was the first country to join the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in 2004. Since then, it cooperates with NATO within this framework, which is based upon joint ownership, focuses on political dialogue and practical cooperation, and reflects the mutual interest of NATO and its partner countries in the Gulf region,” he said; adding that “together with high-visibility events, informal meetings and security ties developed with Gulf partners have enabled discussions on security-related issues of common interest, on the perceptions of NATO in the Gulf, as well as on ways to develop our partnership.”
The Special Representative also underscored that the “NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Centre – which was inaugurated in January 2017 – is an important regional hub for partnership and cooperation between NATO and the Gulf region, as it provides a forum to facilitate political dialogue among Allies and their partners from the Gulf region, with the aims of discussing global and security matters, identifying opportunities for cooperation and developing a common understanding of security challenges, and; in 2024, for example, the Centre conducted activities on various topics, such as food security, maritime security, and defence education.”
The visit provided an opportunity to take stock on the political dialogue and practical cooperation developed between NATO and Kuwait. “Kuwait and NATO participate in political consultations at various levels, with the aim of exchanging views on matters of shared interest in the Gulf region and the broader Middle East; Kuwait and NATO are also engaged in civil and military practical cooperation; for instance Kuwaiti civil and military personnel participate in many courses, trainings and activities offered by NATO to partners, in particular in the areas of civil emergency planning and disaster preparedness, non-proliferation and counter terrorism,” the Special Representative said.