Riyadh is hosting on Thursday the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition against ISIS, in the presence of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, with the participation of 85 countries and partner organizations.
Blinken arrived in Riyadh from Jeddah, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two sides discussed economic and security cooperation, as well as issues of common interest.
Saudi Arabia is one of the most important founding members of the Global Coalition. It ranks second in terms of the number of Coalition airstrikes. The Royal Saudi Air Force carried out a total of 341 missions to support Coalition strikes in Syria.
In August 2018, Saudi Arabia announced a contribution of $100 million to the Global Coalition against ISIS, in support of projects in areas liberated from the terrorist organization in northeastern Syria.
In December 2022, during a meeting of the political directors of the Global Coalition against ISIS, which was held in The Hague, the Kingdom announced that it would host the next ministerial meeting for 2023, to emphasize “its active role as a strategic partner” in the coalition.
The League of Arab States will participate in the meeting through a delegation headed by the Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Arab Affairs and National Security of the Arab League, Ambassador Khalil Ibrahim Al-Thawadi.
Al-Thawadi underlined the importance of the gathering to consult and exchange visions on ways to confront the serious challenges posed by the terrorist organization.
The first defeats of ISIS, which had declared its control in 2014 over large areas in Syria and Iraq, were achieved in Iraq in 2017, then in Syria in 2019. However, the international coalition said in May 2022 that the organization continues to represent a threat, confirming the continuation of the war against it in the two countries.
Members of ISIS cells continue to launch attacks against the security forces from their hideouts in Syria and Iraq though on a limited scale. The organization also claims attacks in other countries and poses a constant threat.
