MUSCAT: Chiefs of Staff of Armed Forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries held their meeting on Monday in Muscat. An official statement to KUNA said that Acting Chief of the General Staff, Major General Engineer Dr Ghazi Shemmeri headed the Kuwaiti delegation. The top military officers discussed topics related to strengthening the cooperation process between the six GCC countries and topics on their agenda related to matters of mutual interest.

The meeting is part of efforts aimed at exploring means of consolidating joint cooperation among GCC states in military fields. It was preceded by a meeting of the GCC Preparatory Committee of Assistant Chiefs of Staff for Operations and will be followed by the GCC Joint Defense Council comprising defense ministers of member states. The GCC consists of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

The Kuwait Army's training chief Major General Fahad Al-Turaiji.

Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti military official on Sunday said that gatherings that bring together army-training chiefs from across the wider Arab region are crucial in boosting cooperation, given the outbreak of armed conflict in large swathes of the world.

The talks involving training chiefs of Arab militaries in the Egyptian capital will yield a “comprehensive” study on the effects of existential military threats, said the Kuwaiti army’s training chief Major General Fahad Al-Turaiji. The talks, chaired by the United Arab Emirates, will comprise a number of studies aiming to ratchet up the military capabilities of armed forces around the Arab region, which entails holding frequent joint drills and training programs. — KUNA