NATO’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, Javier Colomina, visited the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain from 9 to 11 June, holding talks with senior officials in both countries.
During the trip, Colomina reiterated “Allied solidarity with Gulf partners” and condemned what NATO described as Iran’s “indiscriminate attacks across the region,” the alliance reported on Friday.
Colomina met the UAE’s Minister of State, Lana Nusseibeh, and the Secretary General of the Tawazun Council, Dr Nasser Al Nuaimi.
He also met Bahrain’s Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi.
Talks covered NATO’s relations with the UAE and Bahrain and possible further cooperation in areas including defence investment, countering unmanned aircraft systems — a term used for drones — resilience and maritime security.
NATO summit discussions
Colomina also discussed preparations for the NATO Summit in Ankara next month, NATO said.
“Allied leaders will address key NATO’s priorities, increased defence investment, more defence industrial production, and continued support to Ukraine,” he declared.
Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are members of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, a partnership forum established more than 20 years ago for political dialogue and practical cooperation.
