‘GCC faces threat’

Manama : Terrorist threats through the borders of Iraq and Yemen is creating a security challenge for the six member nations of Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC), said Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Allaying fears, the minister, however, said the GCC is closely watching the developments. 

Shaikh Khalid in his reply to a parliamentary query, said, “The events in the region during the past five years have complicated both the political and security scenes.”

This, according to Shaikh Khalid, has a direct link to threats coming through “Iraqi borders in the north and Yemeni borders in the south”. 

In his reply to MP Ahmed Qarata, the minister underlined the threats faced by the region in the form of Iranian interference, describing it as “the first threat to the council’s stability”.

Expressing his concerns on Iran’s growing nuclear capability, the minister also accused Tehran of creating chaos by backing political as well as terrorist groups in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon. 

Shaikh Khalid further opined that  revolutions in some Arab countries and ongoing wars also had an effect in the growth of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism. 

“Terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al Qaeda are working to destablise Arabian and GCC states,” Shaikh Khalid said. 

The Foreign Affairs minister also affirmed that GCC countries are working together to combat the threats, especially from Iran. 

Shaikh Khalid’s reply will be reviewed by MPs during their weekly meeting on Tuesday.