MANAMA: Acting Head of the Kuwaiti National Security Apparatus Sheikh Sabah Shamlan Abdulaziz Al-Sabah attends the forum. - KUNA

MANAMA: Acting Head of the Kuwaiti National Security Apparatus (NSA) Sheikh Sabah Shamlan Abdulaziz Al-Sabah stressed yesterday the importance of the 17th Regional Security Forum - Manama Dialogue hosted by Bahrain with the participation of security service chiefs, political and economic figures.

He said on the sidelines of his participation that the conference's agenda for this year reflects the importance of the work undertaken by Bahrain to discuss the issues between officials in the security, defense, political and Middle Eastern fields.

He added that among the most prominent issues are the American policy to defend the Gulf region and Gulf relationship with Asian countries, regional conflicts, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction weapons as well as regional and international issues. Sheikh Sabah expressed his appreciation to Bahrain for hosting this conference, which has proved successful over the past 17 years by raising important issues related to regional and international security.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had stressed during the same conference the importance of strengthening cooperation with the partners in the Middle East to address "security challenges" in the region. Austin said that the US would work to strengthen investments in this region, modernize relations with partners, and expand the basis of integrated deterrence against the challenges of the twenty-first century.

He affirmed his country's commitment to strengthening the security of the region, indicating that this is among the priorities of his country. Moreover, he said that weapons alone could not give the world the security it wants, while diplomacy is the solution for most conflicts. - KUNA