Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed, has called for stronger Gulf security and collective defence, warning that threats against one Gulf state put the entire region at risk.
In a statement posted on X, Dr Gargash said the security of Gulf states as a whole was "indivisible".
“Since the start of the aggression against the Gulf Arab states, based on the aggressor's mistaken assessment that they were the weakest link in a war we sought to avoid, it has become clear that we are all targeted and that our security is indivisible,” he said.
He stressed that attacks against Saudi Arabia also threatened the wider Gulf. “Targeting our sisterly kingdom of Saudi Arabia undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states,” he added.
Dr Gargash called for renewed regional co-ordination, particularly in security and defence, and stronger collective security arrangements. “There is a need to revitalise joint Gulf action, particularly in its security and defence dimensions, and to strengthen the collective security system,” he said.
He warned that shortcomings in regional co-operation had contributed to the current challenges. “This is the dimension in which there has been a serious shortcoming, which encouraged others to overstep against us,” Dr Gargash said. “Gulf security is a shared responsibility that cannot tolerate neglect or delay."