Egypt is Set to Join MESA: The Middle-East's Equivalent to NATO
This new alliance aims to restore stability in the region.
The US Administration will be holding a summit in January to launch the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA), or an “Arab NATO”, which will include Egypt, Jordan, the U.S, and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes all Arab states of the Persian Gulf except Iraq, according to Egypt Today.
The goal of the alliance is to stand against terrorism and the Iranian threat in the Middle East, which is hindering stability. Speaking to The National, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs in the Near East Bureau, Timothy A. Lenderking, explained that MESA’s agenda consists of confronting Iran, cybercrimes, attacks on infrastructure, and coordinating conflict management from Syria to Yemen.
U.S Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, held a meeting with prospective alliance members on Friday in New York, and aside from the Syria and Yemen conflict, he stressed the importance of defeating the Islamic State and other terrorist organisations, establishing security in Iraq, and terminating the Iranian malignant activity in the region.
MESA is the result of an agreement by the leaders of the GCC countries and the United States in the 2017 Riyadh summit.
Main image from Radio Farda