Nato is “ready” to welcome Saudi Arabia and Oman into its co-operation initiative with Gulf countries, according to a senior official.
The initiative, launched at the military alliance’s 2004 summit in Istanbul, focuses on regional security co-operation in areas such as counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation.
With the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar already members of the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative, Saudi Arabia and Oman are the only Gulf Cooperation Council members yet to join.
"They know that our doors are open," the official told The National.
“Whenever they are ready, we will be ready to welcome them. We cannot go further than that."
The UAE has been party to the ICI since 2004 and was the first Arab country to open an embassy at Nato.
Officials here at the summit in Brussels say they have heard murmurs that Riyadh is interested in joining the ICI but have not seen that interest materialise into action.
Riyadh has been courted by Nato before and the alliance remains eager to have the largest GCC country co-operating more closely with the alliance.
Oman maintains a neutral line on military issues, but there are reports that it has also expressed an interest in co-operating with Nato.
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The alliance opened a regional centre in Kuwait in January last year, its first such presence in the region.
“The Nato-ICI Centre represents an important milestone in Nato’s deepening co-operation with Kuwait and the entire region,” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the inauguration of the centre.
The centre is a focal point for collaboration between Nato and Gulf states in areas such as sharing of expertise, public diplomacy and strategic analysis.
Mr Stoltenberg said it was vital that Gulf countries worked with Nato because of their “shared security challenges” such as terrorism, weapons proliferation and failing states.
“The security of the Gulf is directly linked to the security of all Nato allies. We share the same aspirations for peace and stability,” he said.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Civil%20War
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.