Manama–King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa expressed pride in the kingdom’s hosting of the first GCC Joint Security Exercise which commenced on Thursday.

“Arabian Gulf Security 1” exercises will continue until mid-November with the participation of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.

The exercise aims to reinforce joint security procedures and enhance readiness of security forces and field coordination.

King Hamad said it conveys a message of resolve and determination to support stability and peace, as well as safeguard GCC countries against various security challenges.

Addressing the participants, King Khalifa stressed that the joint exercise represents an ambitious turning point in coordination and cooperation among GCC countries. He expressed gratitude to the participants and wished them all the best in achieving the goals of the exercise.

The King applauded the readiness of GCC security forces and said this exercise reflects Gulf consensus on goals and a unified destiny. He gave the full support of the Kingdom of Bahrain to this security presence and said Bahrain backs the utilization of all capabilities to protect the security of GCC countries. This approach is part of the ongoing work to ensure stability both now and for future generations.

Minister of Interior and Commander of “Arabian Gulf Security 1″, Lt-Gen Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa inaugurated the exercise in the presence of heads of delegations of GCC forces.

After the inauguration, the Minister gave a speech saying GCC has no option but to cooperate against the dangers it is facing. He stated that the GCC strategy will focus on joint security cooperation between GCC Interior Ministries’ agencies to face crises and emergencies, and to fight terrorism.

The minister added: “Security is our national responsibility at all times, but the current regional challenges and threats force us to review our position and study the cooperative potential of our countries. From this we have forged an advanced plan of cooperation and coordination based on the unified goals our brotherly countries support.”

All of the participating security forces have completed the preparations that are part of the GCC security agreement that was struck during the 16th meeting in Doha in April 2015 to achieve integration between security forces and reinforce joint counterterrorism capabilities.