No direct NATO involvement in Gaza conflict: Stoltenberg
By Habib Toumi BRUSSELS: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has no direct role in the Gaza conflict, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stressed. “It is important to recognize that NATO as an Alliance does not play an active role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Some Allies are active in different ways. But NATO as an […]
Rules-based international order still only way to promote peace, stability
By Habib Toumi MANAMA: NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Rob Bauer has warned that the rules-based international order is under immense pressure and that the tectonic plates of power are shifting again. “We all have a stake in upholding the rules-based international order,” he said as he addressed the 19th Manama Dialogue, an international security […]
Jordan: NATO allies, partners address Small Arms and Light Weapons control
By Habib Toumi AMMAN: NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy Javier Colomina has welcomed the news indicating the possibility that Saudi Arabia and Israel could sign an agreement to normalize relations between them. The possibility of normalization is “good news,” Colomina said in an interview with the Jordanian Al Mamlaka […]
For Malaysians, embracing Malaysia Day with love for country strengthens unity among races
By Haib Toumi KUALA LUMPUR: For Malaysians, Malaysia Day is not just another public holiday. And it also goes beyond the mere commemoration of the formation of nation named Malaysia. Malaysia Day holds a special significance for it brings all Malaysians together, regardless of their religion, race and ethnicity, and helps foster a deep sense […]
70 years after it was created … Is DMZ a geographical wound across Korea or a fortress to preserve status-quo?
By Habib Toumi SEOUL: Seventy years after the bloodshed ended with the division of the Korean Peninsula along the 38th parallel, the past is still very much alive. The past defines where Koreans live today. South Koreans to the south of the 250-kilometer Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and North Koreans to the north. My first visit […]
NATO’s partnerships in Asia: Practical cooperation in response to changes in global security environment?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol By Habib Toumi SEOUL: Individually Tailored Partnership Programs, cooperation on transnational issues that span regional borders, enhanced military information sharing, a potential new liaison office … the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is rapidly deepening engagement with its Asia partners – South Korea and […]
Gulf, Central Asia countries unlock huge partnership potential at Jeddah Summit
JEDDAH: Six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and five Central Asia (C5) countries have agreed to consolidate their political, security and economic ties during a special summit in the Red Sea resort of Jeddah. Leaders from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and […]
NATO deepens partnership with Korea, Japan; stresses strategic significance of Middle East
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with Republic of Korea president Suk Yeol Yoon By Habib Toumi VILNIUS: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has expanded its engagement with South Korea and Japan – two key Asian countries- by expanding cooperation in areas of global concern and stressed that the Middle East is a region […]
NATO and its partners: An inevitable global security architecture?
Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (Yonhap) By Habib Toumi SEOUL: Amid the recent moves by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to create a series of overlapping and distinctive multilateral and mini-lateral alliances beyond its initial geographical limits, reactions across the globe have been vastly different, ranging […]
South Korea’s dynamics with NATO to demonstrate its capabilities as a pivotal state
By Habib Toumi TUNIS: History was made in the June 2022 Madrid North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit with the groundbreaking participation of two far-eastern states, South Korea and Japan, as well as Australia and New Zealand, all partners from the Asia-Pacific region. Within the strategic competition over the core principles of international security, this participation […]