Defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries ended in Abu Dhabi on November 16 the first session of their two-day meeting, which focused on military cooperation.

The ministers are expected to sign a joint defense agreement at the meeting, which will continue on Wednesday, the official WAM news agency reported.

Speaking at the opening session, Jamil Al-Hujailan, GCC secretary general, hoped for closer military cooperation among the six Gulf countries, namely the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain.

He also urged the six allies to further enhance their joint defense force known as the Peninsula Shield, which was founded in 1986 and currently using a Saudi army base in Hafar al Batin.

The six Gulf states have accelerated their pace of military integration in recent years. A major effort they are making is to establish a telecommunications link between the headquarters of the GCC armies.

The meeting, chaired by UAE Defense Minister Sheikh Muhammad Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, was held on the sidelines of the Dubai 2000 air show, which opened on Sunday and will run through Thursday.

Some 500 companies from more than 30 countries are displaying their military and civilian planes at the show.