Saudi Gazette report

ROME — Saudi Arabia remains firmly committed to the global fight against Daesh (the so-called IS) as the Kingdom is keen on the stability of Iraq and its influence and sovereignty over its entire territory, said Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan.

He praised the efforts made by Iraq and its continuous coordination with the international coalition to eliminate the terrorist organization.

The Saudi foreign minister made the remarks here on Monday during a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh being hosted jointly by Italy and the United States.

The ministerial meeting is being attended by ministers more than half of the 83-member coalition.

At the outset of his speech, Prince Faisal extended his sincere thanks to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio and the United States Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for their invitation.

He also said that the Kingdom appreciates the great role played by the international coalition against Daesh, which played a decisive role in eliminating its expansion and spread in Iraq and Syria and liberating nearly 8 million people from its control in those areas.

“Despite these achievements, we should not lose sight of the fact that the threat of this organization still exists, which calls for the continued efforts and coordination to check its spread and eliminate it completely,” the Saudi foreign minister remarked.

Prince Faisal affirmed the Kingdom's keenness to support the coalition through its five military tracks, support stability, eliminate the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, prevent the financing and flow of funds to the terrorist organization, and combat the organization's ideology.

He reiterated the Kingdom's emphasis on the need to unify efforts, exchange information and effective coordination to deal with the disturbing news that is coming from the African continent, specifically the African Sahel region, with regard to the spread of the terrorist organization in those areas.

Prince Faisal added: "We stress the importance of cooperation and developing a mechanism of action with partners on the African continent and international partners, with full respect for the rules of international law, to combat Daesh and prevent its spread in those areas," expressing his happiness over the presence of a number of delegates from African countries as observers in the meeting.