RIYADH, April 14 (APP): Saudi Arabia kicked off the “Joint Gulf Shield” military exercise in collaboration with 24 countries in a bid to boost its defense cooperation with leading countries of the world.
Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has invited leading countries to participate in the “Joint Gulf Shield” military exercise.
A full-day rehearsal of the military exercise is held here on Saturday along with the Arab allies of Saudi Arabia which are participating in the exercise.
The US, UK, UAE, Qatar, Pakistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Turkey are among the other participants of the month-long exercise that began on Mar 18.
The exercise includes units from army, navy, air force and the “Special Forces”. The exercise is said to be the second stage of the “Joint Gulf Shield”.
A high-level delegation led by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is expected to arrive on Sunday to inspect the exercises of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC).
The representatives of world media lauded the professional skills and spirit of the armed forces representing different countries of the Arab allies.
Prince Muhammad Bin Salman in a message said the purpose of the “Joint Gulf Shield” military exercise is to maintain security and stability within the participating countries.
He said it also aimed at strengthening security, coordination and cooperation of the member countries in the military field.
The Crown Prince said the military and security integration in line with strengthening economy is the vision of the Gulf.
He said stability in the region will generate investment opportunities by attracting capital.
