Manama – Bahrain Interior Minister and Commander of the Arab Gulf Security 1 Exercise Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said on Thursday that Gulf security cooperation has reached highest levels.

During an inspection visit to the exercise’s command and control center, Al-Khalifa praised efforts deployed by Arab Gulf states to promote readiness against terrorist threats.

The joint security exercise is the first of its kind in the Gulf region where field training is conducted on the terrorist risks facing the region. The exercise was decided by the GCC ministries of interior during the last GCC meeting, during which Bahrain was chosen to host the first edition of the anti-terror exercise.

Security forces from various GCC countries have joined the security exercise, which aims at enhancing the efficiency of security forces, increasing their ability to combat terrorist attacks and exchanging expertise.

During his visit, Bahrain’s interior minister was briefed on the progress of operations and coordination between the different units, including field performance and readiness and competency for a wide array of different security contingencies.

He said the goal of his visit was to inspect the progress of the exercise and noted that the presence of GCC armed police working together to implement joint counter-terrorism tasks shows the utmost level of security cooperation.

In comments, Al-Khalifa stressed that a joint Arab force would strengthen counter-terrorism readiness and unify regional working parameters.

He also highlighted the necessity to maintain strong cooperation between GCC security authorities and promote daily interaction to follow up on all types of cross border crimes.

The interior minister expressed his gratitude and appreciation to all participating units, noting that this exercise has reinforced confidence in GCC States’ ability to maintain security on their territories.