Bahrain inaugurates joint GCC naval center

MANAMA, Feb 4 (KUNA) -- King of Bahrain Hamad Bin Issa Al-Khalifa affirmed on Thursday that inauguration of the GCC joint naval operations center "was a fruit of brotherly bonding among the brothers in the Gulf Cooperation Council States for sake of confronting various challenges looming around the region." In a statement during the opening ceremony, the Monarch said the joint center constitutes a tangible manifestation of the military cooperation among the GCC countries for securing navigation in the Gulf.
Bahraini Minister of Defense Major-General Yusuf bin Ahmed bin Hussain Al Jalahma said in a statement at the ceremony that establishment of the naval center in this sensitive region of the world will enable the GCC countries realize further military and defense integration.
The center will monitor regional naval activities, coordinate tasks among the GCC countries' navies, analyze data, exchange information and provide legal consultations.
The GCC founded in early 80s aims at realizing closer coordination and cooperation among Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman. (end) mga.rk