Interior Ministers of GCC Cooperation meeting: Approval to link fingerprint and information exchange for expellees electronically

The 43rd meeting of the Interior Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries approved, on Wednesday, the launch of an electronic project to link and exchange fingerprints and information on deportees.

According to a GCC statement, the latest developments regarding the upcoming joint security forces exercise of the GCC countries, scheduled to be held in Kuwait in 2027, were reviewed. The ministers also reviewed the latest updates on projects overseen by the Assistant Secretary-General for Security Affairs, including approval to launch the electronic project for linking and exchanging fingerprints and information on deportees, as well as the adoption of the GCC Strategy to Combat Cybercrime and Artificial Intelligence-Related Crimes. Reports from the relevant security committees were also presented.

Approval was granted for two initiatives presented by Bahrain’s Minister of Interior, Field Marshal Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, which contribute to enhancing joint Gulf security:

- The first initiative involves preparing a GCC document on security lessons learned from the regional crisis, including a comprehensive assessment of the challenges and threats that emerged during it, and documenting security experiences and practices to help develop response systems and enhance the efficiency of joint planning.

- The second initiative entails forming a GCC committee of security experts tasked with anticipating future security challenges and threats that may face GCC member states, with the responsibility of providing forward-looking insights and practical recommendations to support security decision-making.