The UK played an active role in the Alliance developing the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative (ICI), adopted by Heads of State and Government at the Istanbul Summit in 2004, to promote practical defence and security co-operation between NATO and individual interested countries of the Broader Middle East region.

 

This Initiative is complementary to, but separate from, NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue. Allies agreed that the ICI would begin by consulting with the countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), including through high level NATO visits to the region.

 

The ICI offers countries of the region voluntary, mutually beneficial opportunities to co-operate with NATO through individual tailored programmes. Issues covered could include defence reform; civil-military relations; promoting military-to-military co-operation; fighting terrorism through information sharing and maritime co-operation; countering proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and fighting illegal trafficking. The ICI continues to be taken forward in close consultation with the countries of the region.

 

To date, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have formally joined the ICI. The first visit by the North Atlantic Council to the region took place in December 2006 when Kuwait hosted a conference on Co-operation with Gulf Countries.  A second visit by the North Atlantic Council took place in Bahrain in April 2008.

 

The UK’s extensive bilateral defence co-operation programmes with the countries in the region, run by the UK Ministry of Defence, contribute to the aims of the ICI.

 

The Training Cooperation Initiative launched at the Riga summit in 2006 will make an important contribution to the further development of the ICI and Mediterranean Dialogue through sharing training expertise and jointly participating in training and education programmes.

 

From January 2007 to December 2010, the UK is making a specific contribution to the ICI through the British Embassy in Manama, which is NATO’s Contact Point Embassy in Bahrain during this period, facilitating liaison between NATO and Bahrain and contributing to the Alliance’s public diplomacy activities in the country.