The foreign ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh met in Rome today at the invitation of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and host and Italian Foreign Minister Luigi di Maio. Even after extensive territorial losses by IS (Daesh), the fight against the terrorist militia remains a high priority, as Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg emphasised at the ministerial meeting.
While we are all still struggling with the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, we must not forget the fight against another plague: that of terrorism and extremism. Just as in the pandemic, no country is left out as a Gallic village when it comes to terrorism – we had to make this painful experience in Austria only last autumn,
said Alexander Schallenberg.
Austria’s contribution as a member of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh has primarily taken the form of humanitarian aid. Since 2015, Austria has raised over 36 million euros for aid in Syria and over 22 million euros for aid in Iraq. The focus lies on restoring basic humanitarian infrastructure such as hospitals and shelters. This year, Austria will again make its contribution in the fight against terrorism, spending over 18 million euros to stabilise the region. In addition to alleviating humanitarian suffering, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg also stressed the need to combat the financing of terrorism.
Austria supports the proposal to set up a platform to address the issue of terrorism in Africa. Our goal is to fight terrorism where it originates and to dry up the illegal money flows that finance it, such as human trafficking and drug trafficking. As international community, we have to react quickly and at an early stage,
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg stated.
The US-led “Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS/Da‘esh” was formed in September 2014 from countries in the Middle East, East Asia and Western states. The coalition currently comprises 83 members, including Austria and all other EU member states, as well as five international organisations (EU, NATO, Arab League, Interpol, Community of Sahel and Sahara States). So far, the coalition has concentrated on Syria and Iraq, but now the focus will increasingly be on Africa and in particular the Sahel region.
In the face of terrorism, Austria knows exactly where we stand: As a determined and reliable partner at the side of our friends and partners in the Global Coalition,
said the Foreign Minister.
In the margins of the coalition meeting, Foreign Minister Schallenberg also met his counterparts from Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and from Turkey, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.
