The State of Qatar has sent Lekhwiya and Ministry of Interior forces to participate in the annual security force training event.

The latest edition of the joint tactical exercise for the security services of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was inaugurated on Saturday, 15 January. This is the third time the tactical practice, which has been named Arab Gulf Security 3 takes place. The drills are being held at the Training Institute for Security and Protection of Facilities College in the town of Buqayq, in eastern Saudi Arabia.

Qatar participates this year alongside security forces from Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Doha has sent forces from its Ministry of Interior and Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).

In a statement released by the Internal Security Force’s on their Instagram account, the Lekhwiya said: “The drill aims to enhance security cooperation and raise the level of coordination, interaction and exchange of experiences between the security services of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, in addition to jointly plan to confront potential threats and risks.”

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The event witnesses police force units from all six GCC countries as they work on improving and developing security elements to better deal with emergencies and possible crises.

The Saudi Assistant Minister of Interior for Operations, General Saeed Bin Abdullah Al Qahtani, stressed that GCC member states are keen on developing their cadres and preparing them internally and abroad. General Al Qahtani further emphasised that the GCC shares the same security and fate, therefore coast guards and border guards have been added to this year’s edition. 

The Arab Gulf Security exercise unites apparatuses from all member states to prepare for potential risks and threats that might affect the region. The exercises include a series of events and activities portraying assumed security risks and ways to manage them.

In his speech, Major General Shaye Bin Salem Al Wadani, the commander of the exercises, outlined that all preparations for the forces aim to strengthen the tie between the GCC countries in the field of security, and enhance the unity and coordination of the forces to overcome dangers posed to Gulf Nations. 

GCC Relations 

Qatar’s participation in the Arab Gulf Security 3 training highlights Doha’s commitment to the region’s development, as well as its efforts to find unified ground between GCC members to combat any risks threatening the stability of the region.

Since the Al-Ula Summit in January 2021, which signalled the reconciliation between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, eding the blockade on the Doha, various initiatives have taken place to consolidate the unity between the neighbours

On Thursday 6 January of this year, the Saudi Minister of Transport met his Qatari counterpart in Doha to discuss plans of connecting the kingdom to Qatar via a high-speed rail network.

Qatar and Saudi Arabia agreed on Friday, 7 January, to pause their dispute over an exposition by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding copyright theft of Doha’s beIN Sports by Riyadh in 2017.

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