Foreign Minister inaugurates 11th Counter Daesh Finance Group Meeting

Manama, Apr. 16 (BNA): Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, affirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s constant commitment to combatting all forms of terrorism, stressing that it will remain an active partner in the Global Coalition Against Daesh. This came during the 11th Counter Daesh Finance Group Meeting, hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain on April 16-17, 2019. The Minister of Foreign Affairs delivered a speech in which he referred to the first meeting of the group, held in Manama in 2014, when the Manama Declaration was issued affirming the international concerns regarding terrorism financing and calling for concerted international efforts to protect the international financing systems and societies. Shaikh Khalid valued the efforts of the coalition which resulted in degrading Daesh control significantly in the territories of the Arab Republic of Syria and the Republic of Iraq, adding that the ability of the organisation to finance and conduct attacks has diminished. He stressed the importance of continuing such efforts to ensure the full defeat of Daesh and similar organisations and end the flow of their financial resources. The Minister stated that the transfer of cash to terrorist groups outside the modern financial system is one of the most prominent challenges faced, as Daesh, Hezbollah and Al-Qaeda rely on the use, transport and storage of cash through illegal means. The Minister of Foreign Affairs concluded by highlighting the importance of making use of centres that fight extremist ideologies such as the Global Centre for Combating Extremist Ideology "Etidal" in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Sawab Centre in Abu Dhabi.