Qatar participates in Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS

Combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is a priority for Qatar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said at the Ministerial Meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, held in Rome, Italy, on Monday.

HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani chaired the State of Qatar's delegation to the meeting.

Qatar is a strategic partner of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and is an active member of all coalition working groups: Counter-Finance, Stability, Foreign Terrorist Fighters, Communications. It provided significant support to facilitate US military operations in the region.

In December 2018, the State of Qatar signed an agreement with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) to establish a United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism in Doha, and provided $75 million to support its general strategy. Subsequently, in March 2019, Qatar and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism held their first strategic dialogue at United Nations Headquarters.

At the beginning of his speech to his ministerial counterparts, HE the Foreign Minister thanked all Their Excellencies for giving the State of Qatar the opportunity to talk about the joint efforts that have been achieved towards defeating ISIS.

He also welcomed the admission of new members to the coalition, wishing them success, stressing the urgent need to strengthen and expand security cooperation, in addition to increasing capacity-building efforts with countries where ISIS still represents an existing or growing threat.

At the end of his speech, he stated that the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to review and re-evaluate strategies and approaches to combating terrorism and extremism, stressing Qatar's firm commitment to the coalition's message and goals.