MANAMA — Interior ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries Sunday held their 38th meeting here under the presidency of Interior Minister of Bahrain and president of the current session Gen. Shaikh Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, with the participation of the GCC Secretary General Dr. Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf.

The GCC interior ministers expressed their gratitude for the efforts of the Kingdom of Bahrain in supporting joint GCC action and enhancing integration among the GCC countries in various fields.

They also praised the support and interest of GCC countries’ leaders in a bid to enhance cooperation and integration among the GCC countries in the security field and preserving their security and stability and protecting their achievements, stressing the GCC countries’ solidarity and full support to Saudi Arabia in whatever security procedures it takes to protect its security and stability and the safety of its territories.

They also welcomed the signing of a memorandum of understanding in the cyberspace and combating cybercrime between the ministries of interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting, praising, at the same time, the alternative sentences program that Bahrain is implementing and its plans to adopt a program of reformation and open prisons.

The GCC interior ministers also commended a proposal presented by Bahrain on the importance of revisiting and enhancing civil protection procedures through exchanging expertise and checking on practical experiments, in a way that guarantees the best public safety rates, referring to the joint GCC action to preserve security and face challenges.

In this regard, they also stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation mechanisms in the cybersecurity field, developing joint projects to combat crime, and enhancing collective security.

They also stressed the need to intensify collective efforts to protect the GCC community against drugs that target GCC countries and their citizens, highlighting the significance of adopting a general vision to deal with narcotics and their impacts on all segments of the society.

They called for enhancing rehabilitation programs through the cooperation of all public and private institutions to fortify the society against the dangers and repercussions of narcotics.

They also reiterated the importance of intensifying coordination and cooperation among the GCC apparatuses concerned with combating organized crime and terrorism that target the security and stability of the GCC countries.

The GCC interior ministers also checked on ongoing preparations on the joint tactical drill for security apparatuses in the GCC countries “Arab Gulf Security 3”, which is scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia in January 2022, praising the intensified and devoted efforts exerted by security apparatuses in the GCC countries to help preserve security and stability.

They also checked on work progress in the security network of ministries of interior and the experiment of linking main operations rooms.

During their meeting, the GCC interior ministers discussed reports that were referred from specialized security committees and the recommendations referred from undersecretaries of ministries of interior, and made decisions that would unify Gulf efforts in combating crimes and terrorist acts, in a bid to preserve the safety and security of the GCC citizens and residents.

They also checked on efforts exerted by the Gulf security apparatuses, such as the Doha-based GCC Criminal Information Center to Combat Drugs, GCC Emergency Management Center in Kuwait, GCC POL, and GCC Permanent Mission in Vienna, where they stressed the importance of the pivotal role that these institutions play in the sustainability of exchanging information, cooperation and coordination, which highlights the unity and interrelation of GCC security action.

The GCC ministers of interior also praised the efforts of the GCC Secretariat General in maintaining coordination among the GCC security apparatuses. — SPA