Media Center

Riyadh, Media & Communication Dept., June 08

The State of Qatar Participated on Thursday in the ministerial meeting of the member states of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi represented the State of Qatar at the meeting.
In his speech during the meeting, His Excellency reiterated the State of Qatar's commitment to participate in all international efforts aimed at eliminating ISIS, and its support to the coalition's efforts to defeat it, expressing the State of Qatar's appreciation to all state members for their support to the coalition.
His Excellency said that all member states had taken big steps in weakening ISIS's capabilities, not just in Iraq and Syria but also in limiting their spread in Asia and Africa. Yet, all member states should remain vigilant not to create the conditions for their return by securing decent livelihoods and services for the residents in those areas.
HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that ISIS still poses a grave threat to regional and international peace and security, and perhaps its spread in various places on the African continent is conclusive evidence that it still poses a real threat to the international community. His Excellency called for the continuation of addressing the root causes of terrorism by preventing conflicts and settling them through convenient efforts and mediation, considering practical plans and ideas, and making strategic decisions to continue financing programs to combat extremism, restore basic services, and revitalize the local economy.
His Excellency noted the necessity to remember that the residents of Al-Hawl and Al Roj refugee camps, mostly women and children, are living in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, exposing them to exploitation towards extremism and recruitment. His Excellency stressed the need for the displaced from Al-Hawl and Al Roj refugee camps to return to their homeland and reintegrate them into society, including foreign terrorist fighters and their families, given the concern this file poses for everyone.
In his speech, HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi expressed the State of Qatar's aspiration, through its charitable organizations, to work with its international partners to achieve stability in the areas liberated from the grip of ISIS, and to work on humanitarian and legal solutions to address the situation of refugees, women, and children in the Al-Hawl and Al Roj refugee camps.
In this regard, HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the State of Qatar's praise for the efforts of the government of Iraq to return nearly 5,000 of its citizens since 2021, thanking the brothers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their generous hosting of the meeting, and the United States for the joint organization of the meeting, which comes at an important and pivotal time for coordination on the next steps of the coalition.