US hosts strategic "Arab NATO" conf. including Kuwait

WASHINGTON, Nov 14 (KUNA) -- The US has hosted a Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) General Conference during which senior officials from Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) discussed "pressing regional events." The Department of State said in a statement that the conference, held late on Wednesday, discussed "collaboration on political, security, economic, and energy-related efforts in the Middle East." It added that the conference included discussions "on the situation in Syria, air defense in the Arabian Peninsula and a summary of recent multilateral collaboration, including the development of a MESA Counterterrorism Strategy and the formation of the MESA political framework." "With the help of MESA, the United States continues to promote a united Gulf Cooperation Council to counter outside threats and confront regional challenges," the statement affirmed.
The statement noted that "MESA is a whole-of-government initiative that works to advance regional stability, security, and prosperity through enhanced multilateral cooperation." MESA was first announced during US President Donald Trumpآ’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2017; in which the Riyadh Declaration described the alliance as contributing "to peace and security in the region and the world." The alliance, dubbed as the "Arab NATO," aims to boost security, stability and prosperity on the regional and international levels. (end) si.rk