On December 8 and 9, 2025, the State of Kuwait hosted the seventh meeting of the Policy Advisory Group of the NATO Istanbul Initiative, which was attended by the NATO Secretary General’s Representative for the Southern Neighborhood, Javier Colomina, and representatives of NATO member states involved in political consultations, as well as representatives of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative countries. Before delving into the importance and outcomes of this meeting, it is worth noting that NATO launched the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in 2004 during the Alliance’s summit in Istanbul, Turkey, justifying its launch by the changing security environment that required cooperation between the Alliance and new partners, and the changing tasks of the Alliance itself, as it undertook peacekeeping missions, and the existence of a new dynamic in the Arab Gulf region itself. The Alliance defined the principles for this cooperation, namely that it provides a list of areas of security cooperation from which each country is free to choose, taking into account the political and cultural contexts of the countries that will join the initiative. Finally, the initiative is integrated with other initiatives in the region and does not conflict with them.

The areas of cooperation fall under six main themes: defense reforms, military cooperation, counterterrorism, countering the threat of weapons of mass destruction, border security, and civil emergency planning. There are multiple mechanisms for cooperation between the Alliance and partner countries in the initiative, the most notable of which are three: First: the opening of the NATO Regional Center and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative in Kuwait in 2017, which offers a series of courses on security issues of mutual interest to both sides. Second: NATO’s appointment of Mr. Javier Colomina as its representative for the South, who acts as a liaison between the alliance and its partners in the southern countries. Third: The establishment of the Alliance Advisory Group, consisting of representatives of Alliance member states, whether ministers or advisors involved in identifying areas of cooperation with partners. The group holds regular meetings in the Istanbul Initiative countries, with the Kingdom of Bahrain hosting the fifth meeting in 2023, Qatar hosted the sixth meeting in 2024, and finally, the seventh meeting was held in Kuwait in December 2025.
Although the group’s latest meeting was a regular meeting, as mentioned earlier, it was significant in two respects. First, it was the first meeting held under the auspices of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs, underscoring the keenness to strengthen and support the role of the Alliance Center in Kuwait , which hosted the meeting, ultimately leading to the advancement of the Istanbul Initiative itself. During the opening of the meeting, Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Kuwait, noted that “Kuwait’s hosting of this meeting reflects its firm commitment to constructive dialogue and strengthening security cooperation with its regional and international partners, foremost among them NATO.” Second: The selection of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity as the two main topics on the meeting’s agenda reflects an Atlasian and Gulf awareness of the changing concept of security and its threats on the one hand, and the inevitability of integrating international roles with their regional counterparts on the other, in order to address these security developments, as explicitly stated by Javier Colomina, the NATO Secretary General’s representative for the South.
Given the importance of the above, more than twenty years have passed since the launch of this initiative (2004-2025) – which was launched in a regional security environment and international conditions that differed from those of today – raises important questions for all partners and researchers involved in evaluating the alliance’s policies within that initiative. These questions can be summarized in five points. First: If the partnership aims to achieve what the alliance has called “added value to security” throughout those years, and in light of the changing nature of security itself, is the alliance prepared to support the capabilities of the Arab Gulf states in the field of military technology? It is true that there are export regulations and institutional constraints within the alliance itself, which includes 32 countries, meaning that decisions of this kind will not be easy to make. However, to what extent can the alliance act to provide added value to its partners in the Arab Gulf states in this area? Second: In light of the continuing maritime security threats, especially in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, what role can the alliance play—independently of or in conjunction with—other international roles in this region? Third: Given NATO’s interest in the South in general, as reflected in the appointment of a Special Representative for the South, which is an important step, can the Arab Gulf states receive greater attention within this broader concept? Fourth: Among the provisions of the Istanbul Initiative is combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, which is a very important issue. Are there any new strategies for the alliance in this regard? Fifth: Are there any strategies to enhance cooperation between NATO and regional organizations, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, in parallel with bilateral partnerships with GCC members?
We list the above questions as examples, based on the fact that partnerships are built on genuine commitment from both sides, as well as their importance in providing added value in all areas of partnership, given that the Arab Gulf states enjoy numerous international partnerships due to their strategic location and rising regional role. Finally, ways to develop the Istanbul Initiative itself, given the radical changes that have taken place on the regional and global scene in the more than two decades since the initiative was launched. It may be useful to define the priorities, timeframe, and means of implementation for a partnership that was—and still is—important to both parties: the Arab Gulf states, with their security needs, and NATO, with its new role outside its territory after the end of the Cold War. The agenda and outcomes of this seventh meeting will therefore determine the future course of the partnership between the alliance and its Arab Gulf partners.

Note: This article has been automatically translated, the full article is available in Arabic.

Dr. Ashraf Mohammed Keshk,head of strategic and international studies