LOC16:21
13:21 GMT
BRUSSELS, Dec 5 (KUNA) -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador
Alexander Vershbow will visit the Kingdom of Bahrain from Friday till Sunday
to participate in the 9th IISS (International Institute for Strategic Studies)
Regional Security Summit, "The Manama Dialogue."
During his visit, Vershbow will meet with several high level officials,
said NATO in a brief statement on Thursday.
Bahrain is a member of NATOs Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) which
includes Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
The ICI is an initiative launched during NATO's 2004 Istanbul summit.
During this summit, NATO leaders decided to elevate the Alliances
Mediterranean Dialogue to a genuine partnership and to launch the ICI with
selected countries in the broader region of the Middle East.
The initiative is an offer to engage in practical security cooperation
activities with states throughout the Middle East. (end)
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KUNA 051621 Dec 13NNNN