By KUNA,
Abu Dhabi : The UAE center for strategic research and studies starts Wednesday a conference for leaders of the GCC naval forces, a statement by the center announced on Tuesday.
Billed as the first of its kind addressing naval issues in the Gulf, the conference will deal with the challenges facing the multinational forces in the area in joint naval operations and others against naval terrorism, maritime monitoring of borders, de-mining operations, and management of naval networks of tasks, said the statement.
Organized conjointly by the UAE center and Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis “INGMA,” the conference comes at a time when the region is experiencing some tension requiring vigilance on the part of Gulf states, said the statement.
Security in the Gulf area is of paramount importance to world trade since about 40 percent of the world’s energy needs are exported from it, noted the statement adding that the conference takes place on the sidelines of a half-yearly meeting among GCC naval leaders, where it is expected that workshops and seminars will be organized for them dealing with Gulf naval security.
Providing an opportunity for both the UAE center and INGMA to trade viewpoints on crucial issues of Gulf naval security, the conference will afford both parties the chance to organize a similar conference but on an international level at a later date, said the statement.