6 Initiatives Define the New US - Gulf Partnership

The US-Gulf Summit concluded yesterday with the establishment of six security initiatives that include training and joint military exercises, intelligence sharing and the establishment of an early warning system against ballistic missile threats. The security initiatives also included conducting extensive US – Gulf military manoeuvres which are scheduled for next March and the adoption of initiatives to promote cyber security and maritime cooperation.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz led the US – Gulf summit which was held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, yesterday. The US President Barack Obama and the leaders and heads of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) delegations took part in the summit.

In a brief speech that he gave at the end of the summit, King Salman praised the constructive discussions and the agreements made between the GCC countries and America. He also emphasised the GCC’s commitment and keenness to develop the historical and strategic relations between the United States “which serves our common interests, peace and security in the region and the world”.

The White House announced details of the agreements and strategic partnerships that were made during President Obama’s visit to Riyadh, his meetings with King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the leaders of the GCC. The strategic partnership between the two sides focussed on five key issues: achieving stability in the region and defeating ISIS, security cooperation, cooperation on economic and energy issues, cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the provision of humanitarian aid.

In his speech to the summit, the US president stressed that his country will protect its interests in the Gulf region and its allies from any attack. He said “We remain united in our fight to destroy ISIL, or Daesh, which is a threat to all of us. The United States will help our GCC partners ensure that their Special Operations Forces are interoperable, and GCC nations will continue to increase their contributions to the fight against ISIL and the coalition that we formed.” He continued by saying “I just want to make a brief comment on what we’ve accomplished. Last year, at our summit at Camp David, we agreed to build an even stronger partnership between our nations. We already had strong bilateral relations and, collectively, had a shared vision of peace and prosperity in the region. But we felt that we could do more, given the new challenges that had arisen.”

The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan confirmed that recent GCC positions that are characterised by consensus and solidarity on many issues contain a clear message that the GCC is capable of defending its interests and the achievements of its peoples, and will take action against any threats to its security.

6 Initiatives Define the New US - Gulf Partnership