Kuwait’s Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Bandar Al-Mezian praised on Thursday the exceptional role played by the Amiri Guard in defense of the country and its leadership.

In a statement by the Defense Ministry, Mezian, who visited the Amiri Guard headquarters, called on members to remain ready, steadfast, and vigilant in their duties towards His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and the country, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

During his visit, Mezian was informed about the duty and tasks undertaken by the Amiri Guard as well as the measures to training members of the Guard, the statement added.

In another development, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Ambassador Boris Ruge expressed his pride for the NATO-ICI Regional Center in Kuwait, making it the only one in the region.

Speaking to KUNA after a discussion seminar organized earlier this month by the NATO-ICI Regional Center and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative entitled ‘NATO Dialogue’, Ruge said that his visit to Kuwait aims at enhancing cooperation with Kuwait in education, training, political dialogue, environmental operations, and looking into Kuwait’s prioritized needs.

The aim of the visit is also to enhance the NATO-ICI Regional Center’s role in Kuwait’s role with the Istanbul initiative, making it an active center for cooperation and training with the participation of Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, and Bahrain, the ambassador added. The seminar also hosted Kuwaiti figures such as Assistant History Professor at Kuwait University Bader Al-Seef, Defense Undersecretary Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Mishal Al-Sabah, and some diplomats.

On his part, Al-Seef said that Kuwait had a pivotal role as the first Gulf country to join NATO as a non-partner member 20 years ago. He added that the NATO dialogue discussed the strategic cooperation between Kuwait and NATO, as Kuwait is an essential partner in boosting regional stability and security in the Arabian Gulf region.

Kuwait was the first country to join NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), which is a platform established by NATO to promote security cooperation on a bilateral basis between NATO and partner countries in the broader Middle East region, in June 2004.