Terrorism, Yemen and the impact of the Iranian nuclear deal will be the key topics discussed at a major security forum to be held later this year in Bahrain.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies’ (IISS) 11th Regional Security Summit: The Manama Dialogue 2015 will be held from October 30 until November 1 at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, Hotel and Spa.
Organized annually, the IISS Manama Dialogue provides a forum for the national security establishments of the participating states to exchange views on regional security challenges. It is a unique forum in that it is made up of governmental delegations from over 20 countries, including not only the states of the region and the immediate neighborhood, but also the outside powers with security interests in the Gulf.
The IISS Manama Dialogue provides opportunities for government leaders to deliver vitally important public statements about the evolving policy approaches to regional security. Crucially, 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 can help to animate fresh policy thinking.
The 11th meeting will draw together the highest concentration to date of policy-makers involved in regional security, and delegations comprised a measured blend of prime ministers, defense ministers, foreign ministers, national security advisors, and military and intelligence chiefs.
The IISS Manama Dialogue process is maturing into the most important regional security meeting in the Middle East and is an excellent anchor for regional security diplomacy.
“I am extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve in partnership over the past ten years. I know that this forum is one of the most important in the world,” said Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain.
“The Manama Dialogue is the primary security forum for the Middle East, just as the Shangri-La summit in Singapore is the primary security forum for the Asia-Pacific region,” France's Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at 2014 Dialogue.
