Under the patronage and attendance of His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of signing the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) kicked off in New York late Wednesday. In a speech during the event, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's 79th session, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled affirmed Kuwait's continuous efforts to strengthen strategic partnership with the NATO, especially that it was the first country to join the initiative in 2004. He added that Kuwait is headquarters to the first of its kind NATO-ICI Regional Center, launched in 2017, which hosts many events and training courses. Kuwait is exerting great efforts to enhance political and security dialogue with ICI countries, with the aim of achieving stability in the region, said His Highness. On his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underlined Kuwait's significant role in developing partnership between the alliance and ICI countries. The event was attended by senior officials from NATO member-states, ICI countries, Saudi Arabia, Oman and GCC Secretary General. Source: Kuwait News Agency