Bahrain participates in anti-Daesh coalition meet

New York : Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa headed Bahrain’s delegation to the Anti-Daesh Coalition meeting, themed “Shaping the Peace: The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS”, held on the sidelines of the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In his remarks, the ambassador, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, commended the efforts of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider Al Abadi and the Iraqi government in liberating Mosul, Tal Afar and the surrounding areas from Daesh.

Shaikh Abdullah affirmed that despite the multiple challenges, Iraqis came together, in a show of resilience and courage, to fight this existential threat to the future of their nation and expressed confidence that this spirit will continue to inspire the people of Iraq in their path to return to security and stability.

The ambassador reiterated the significant challenge of rebuilding Mosul and other heavily damaged areas in order to pave the way for the return of Mosul residents to their homes and cautioned the urgency of this endeavour to avoid the risk of the emergence of another terrorist organisation, looking forward to the international donor meeting to convene in Kuwait in the upcoming year.

On Syria, Shaikh Abdullah stressed on the importance of cooperation between all relevant global players and responsible regional countries to resume peace talks and pave the way for a political solution to the crisis, while ensuring the adequate provision of humanitarian aid to all those who need it.

“In considering Syria’s future, we must not ignore the threat to Syria’s stability from terrorist groups such as Hezbollah. As the presence of Daesh decreases, we must put in place the proper mechanisms to prevent other terrorist groups from seizing territory and competing for influence within the Syrian state,” he said.

Shaikh Abdullah reaffirmed Bahrain’s commitment to all aspects of the fight against Daesh and to continuing to be heavily involved in combating the financing of Daesh and similar terrorist groups, as well as to counter its deviated toxic ideology.