Egypt and five other Arab states kicked off yesterday the “Arab Shield 1” joint military drills, according to an Armed Forces statement. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain will take part in the first of its kind drills, scheduled through to 16 November. The drills come a little over a month after the US began formal talks with the participant countries, plus Qatar, over the establishment of the Middle East Strategic Alliance (MESA) ‒ an Arab “Nato-style” alliance. Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid had said last week that the MESA will be launched next year.

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