The meeting was led by Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The coalition’s first ministerial meeting in Africa was aimed at reaffirming the partners’ commitment to fighting Daesh via military as well as growing civilian action so as to permanently defeat the terrorist organisation.
The coalition strongly condemned the recent attacks in Afghanistan during Ramadan by Daesh’s local Khorasan branch, supporting all victims and their families and reiterating the determination to bring all Daesh members to justice.
The coalition said the priority was civilian protection and respect for international law, including humanitarian law and human rights, as well as for all relevant Security Council resolutions. It also underlined the role of women and youth in preventing radicalisation and implementing de-radicalisation.
The coalition’s main job remains to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria as well as to stabilise liberated territories and remove the causes that contributed to Daesh’s rise in Syria.
The coalition welcomed the establishment of the Africa Focus Group as well as the coalition’s enlargement in Africa.
Grlić Radman reaffirmed Croatia’s commitment to the coalition’s efforts and goals. In his address, he underlined the importance of the cooperation between the EU and Africa’s states, including anti-terrorist cooperation.
He recalled the deaths of Croatian company Hidroelektra’s workers in Algeria in 1993 and the execution of a Croatian national in Egypt in 2015. He voiced deep understanding for all victims of terrorism, saying that supporting tolerance, intercultural and interreligious dialogue is one of the best defences against terrorist propaganda and attempts to spread hate and fear.
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