Turkmenistan has stressed cooperation with the European Union in the fields of security, sustainable development and humanitarian aid. Those efforts intensified in December 2021 when Ashgabat hosted an international conference “Politics of Peace and Trust — the Basis of International Security, Stability and Development.” Turkmen Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashid Meredov used the occasion to hold diplomatic contacts with the EU special representative for Central Asia, Ambassador Terhi Hakala. In addition to ongoing projects focused on regional development, Turkmen and EU representatives discussed efforts to fight cybercrime and improve biological security after the recent COVID-19 crisis. A second meeting, with…
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In a development that could reduce violence from years of civil war, an Omani delegation arrived in Sanaa in June 2021 to negotiate terms for a cease-fire between the legitimate Yemeni government and Houthi rebels. Houthi leaders tentatively embraced a United Nations proposal to enforce a cease-fire in exchange for the Yemeni government lifting a naval blockade. As part of a deal, Yemen would reopen Sanaa Airport and the Port of Hodeida. Martin Griffiths, U.N. special envoy for Yemen, expressed regret for his failure to mediate a lasting cease-fire during his three-year tenure. He told the U.N. Security Council he…
UNIPATH STAFF Kuwait commandos traveled to Turkey for a 10-day military exercise with a Turkish Special Operations unit in July 2021. The Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade, commanded by Col. Nasser Masoud Al Otaibi, sought to improve combat interoperability between the two countries. “The execution of this exercise comes as a continuation of joint military coordination to achieve more harmony, exchange experiences and unify efforts,” the Kuwait Army’s Moral Guidance Department announced. The Kuwait 25th Commando Brigade previously trained with Turkish forces in 2015. The nucleus of what would be the brigade was founded in 1960 by Brig. Gen. Mubarak…
The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2021 with the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS) to collaborate on security, safety planning and capacity building for 2022 FIFA World Cup. According to the memorandum, the ICSS will support the Supreme Committee in several key areas, including the creation of an overall master security concept for training and capacity building. The ICSS will ensure effective coordination and interoperability across various Qatari committees tasked with safety and security preparations and accommodations for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “The ICSS’s goal is to help event organizers stage safer…
UNIPATH STAFF To advance peaceful coexistence in Egypt, a delegation from the Episcopal Church in Alexandria visited Al-Azhar in Cairo to promote the formation of a center for Islamic-Christian studies. Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, sheikh of Al-Azhar, praised the church for its sponsorship of Together for Egypt, a national spiritual project that included dialogue between imams and priests to create a culture of tolerance in Egyptian society. “We are all soldiers in the battle to defend our religions and our homeland as we are all equals in humanity,” Dr. Al-Tayeb told the delegation. The new Archbishop of the Episcopal/Anglican…
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; Rear Adm. Mohammed Yusuf Al-Asam, Commander of Royal Bahrain Naval Force; and Vice Adm. David Sa’ar Salama, Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Navy We are honored to submit this article collectively because the seas unify us regardless of the uniform we wear. There is a well-known saying that goes: “Alone we are strong; together we are stronger.” It reflects our commitment to fostering an enduring maritime partnership built on a foundation of trust and a shared interest in maintaining security and stability. Exciting…
Issam Abbas Amin General Directorate for Intelligence and Security of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense Unmanned aerial systems, or drones, pose a new challenge in conflict management as an emerging weapon that states and armed groups are finding useful. It appears that drones will change the nature of warfare, or at least will change low-intensity conflict. In 2020, drones were the tactical weapon of choice in the conflicts raging in the Middle East. It is notable that states sponsoring terrorism are the main beneficiaries of this weapon and that their use constitutes a potential challenge to the regional balance of…
When an international coalition led by the United States ended a 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan, the pinnacle of the operation was an unprecedented airlift of more than 120,000 Afghans and foreign citizens from Afghanistan. From the beginning of August 2021, ethnic Kazakhs applied to the Kazakh Embassy in Kabul for evacuation from Afghanistan and a return to their historical homeland, the Republic of Kazakhstan. So important was this mission to aid ethnic Kazakhs, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev assumed special control. The embassy’s diplomatic staff quickly established contact with Afghan Kazakhs and citizens of Kazakhstan living in Afghanistan. As a result,…
MUAMMAR AL-ERYANI, YEMENI MINISTER OF INFORMATION, CULTURE AND TOURISM The act of piracy by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia on the United Arab Emirates-flagged vessel Rawabi off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate has sounded alarm bells once more. The attacks reminded the world of the danger the militia poses to the safety of vessels and commercial traffic within the Red Sea’s international shipping lanes and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which 6 million barrels of oil pass daily. Barely hours after the incident on January 2, 2022, the Saudi-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced it had received…
I would like to thank United States Central Command for giving me the opportunity to write the editorial for this special edition of Unipath magazine dedicated to peace and recalibration. Under the leadership of His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz, custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the foremost countries contributing to international efforts to promote peace and eradicate terrorism. As Saudi Muslims, we are responsible not only for the protection of Islamic holy sites, but also for purging Islam of ideological cancers that terrorist…