Arab Interior Ministers Council discusses enhancing security awareness and crime prevention

Tunisian President Kais Saied received HH Lt General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the UAE, and Arab Interior Ministers at Carthage Palace on Monday for the 41st session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council.

His Highness had headed the UAE delegation that participated in the meetings in Tunis. He conveyed to Saied the greetings of Emirati leader HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and appreciated the warm reception, generous hospitality and continued support.

The session discussed a number of topics related to enhancing joint Arab action and coordination in the security and police fields. Interior Ministers from the region and high-ranking security delegations attended the meetings and noted things of mutual interest.

Bolstering security cooperation among Arab countries

Representatives of the League of Arab States, the International Criminal Police Organisation, the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, and the Arab Police Sports Federation also attended.

Upon his arrival, His Highness Saif bin Zayed was received by Kamel Feki, Minister of the Interior of Tunisia; Dr Mohammad bin Ali Kuman, Secretary-General of Arab Interior Ministers Council; Dr Iman Ahmed Al Salami, UAE Ambassador to Tunisia; and others.

The meetings focused on bolstering security cooperation among Arab countries, including a draft 9th Arab media plan for security awareness and crime prevention, a draft 11th Arab security plan, and a draft 8th phased plan for the Arab strategy for traffic safety.

Increasing tensions in the Gaza Strip

The discussions also centred on areas of cooperation with relevant regional and international organisations, besides a number of technical reports and interim plans for cooperation and coordination in confronting different security risks.

The 41st Arab Interior Ministers Council came against a backdrop of increasing tensions in the Gaza Strip and resumed negotiations in Qatar on exchanging the remaining Israeli hostages in the enclave for a ceasefire in the five-month-long fighting.

The Gaza crisis erupted on October 7 as Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on southern Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking several others hostages. Israeli retaliatory strikes have so far claimed close to 30,000 lives in the Palestinian territory.

Read More: Is Gaza crisis nearing an end?