The United Kingdom is renewing old military ties with its allies in the Gulf region and will stand by them in any circumstances or crises, said Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary.
He was speaking at the 12th Regional Security Summit, Manama Dialogue, which was organized in Manama, Bahrain, on Friday. Iran’s threat to stability in the region and the turmoil in Syria were at the forefront of discussions.
While praising the relationship with the Kingdom of Bahrain, the foreign secretary cited the important ties that the UK has had with the Gulf states through history.
The IISS and Sky News Arabia jointly held a special live televised opening panel that examined some of the key issues to be discussed at the IISS Manama Dialogue and subsequent implications for regional security.
The panel consisted of Prince Turki Al-Faisal bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Dr. Ayad Allawi, vice president of Iraq, Ellen Laipson, the former vice chair of the National Intelligence Council, and retired American Gen. David Petraeus.
The 12th meeting drew official delegations from over 20 countries, comprising prime ministers, defense ministers, foreign ministers, national security advisers, military and intelligence chiefs.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal said that Iran has constantly failed to prove that it wanted a peaceful co-existence with the neighboring countries and hoped that the incoming US President Donald Trump would live up to his words in tackling the menace.
Iraqi leader Ayad Allawi said that the new United States administration needs to push the nuclear dossier to achieve stability in the region.
Ellen Laipson said that Trump wants to redefine relations with Russia and has indicated that if Russia can bring stability to Syria, then it should be looked at.
Adding to Laipson’s remarks, Petraeus said that the opposition of President Bashar Assad should not be “thrown under the bus,” nor should Assad’s regime be ousted without identifying its successor.
Among those others who spoke included Dr. John Chipman, CMG director general and chief executive of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
The IISS launched the dossier on missile defense cooperation in the Gulf region which identifies the full advantage of existing and future missile-defense technology purchased by each GCC state, and the full integration of these defense systems.
The simplest and least politically controversial form of cooperation would involve sharing radars and other sensors that detect incoming missiles. This dossier was written by political and rocket scientists from the institute.
Manama Dialogue will discuss on Saturday US policy and stability in the Middle East, combating extremism in the region and beyond, and widening Middle Eastern security partnerships.
Organized annually, the IISS Manama Dialogue provides a platform for participating states to exchange views on regional challenges. This year’s dialogue takes place amid a set of political, economic, social, and security challenges in and around the Middle East and North Africa that are of a global importance and urgency that has not been seen for decades. The IISS provides a forum for some of the most powerful policy makers from the region and beyond to agree on ways to address such pressing challenges collectively.
The dialogue provides a platform for government leaders to deliver vitally important public statements about the evolving policy approaches to regional security, and it also facilitates private bilateral and multilateral meetings between participating states in order to advance immediate policy goals. Against this background, senior officials are able to engage with the leading experts in the region in a manner that helps to animate policy decision-making. 

Source: Arab News