Ankara NATO summit reveals push for stronger Gulf ties

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On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8, NATO foreign ministers and top Gulf officials held a special session to discuss the developments in the Gulf, maritime security risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and ways to strengthen cooperation between the alliance and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The meeting was attended by officials from the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partner countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.

Discussions between GCC and NATO officials focused on three main issues. First, the security of the Strait of Hormuz, as the UK and France proposed for a multinational maritime mission for Hormuz that could serve as a framework for NATO-GCC coordination. Second, defense-industrial collaboration, given that Kuwait and Bahrain remained under Iranian attacks even during the NATO Summit. Third, institutional relations with NATO officials proposed for stronger cooperation within the NATO-ICI framework. During the session, Qatar’s delegation announced that NATO and Qatar had agreed on a new partnership program and were close to establishing a NATO-sponsored regional center for peace support operations in Qatar. In the Gulf, Kuwait has hosted the NATO-ICI Regional Center since 2017.

The ICI was launched in 2004, but has yet to realize its full potential as a framework for NATO-GCC cooperation. However, in recent years it regained its significance particularly due to the immediate security challenge posed by the war with Iran. Thus, the driving force behind the special meeting between NATO and GCC officials at the Ankara summit was Iran’s attacks against GCC states since Feb. 28 and the........

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