For his part, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter stressed that the United States of America reiterated its commitment of its partner's security in the GCC. "During our meeting today, we focused on a number of principles, including defeating Daesh, confronting Iran's activities aiming to destabilize the region and supporting efforts of stability and security in the Middle East," Carter added. "We appreciate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's initiatives at all levels guaranteeing security and stability in the region at all arenas," he said. The US Secretary of Defense disclosed that he discussed aspects of cooperation among the GCC defense ministries and the United States in addition to ways of enhancing them as well as taking advantage of the experiences against any threat and raising its readiness in all fields. --SPA 16:54 LOCAL TIME 13:54 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w