NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participated in a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in Rome on Monday (28 June 2021). Co-chaired by Italy and the United States, the ministerial was the group’s first in-person meeting in two years.
Photo by Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
“NATO is strongly committed to the enduring defeat of Daesh,” said the Secretary General, noting that all Allies are members of the Global Coalition, and that the Alliance provides support with AWACS surveillance flights and through NATO Mission Iraq. He recalled that at the request of the Iraqi government, NATO Defence Ministers agreed in February to expand the Alliance’s advisory, training, and capacity-building mission in Iraq, to help strengthen Iraqi security forces and institutions, so that they can prevent the re-emergence of Daesh and stabilise their own country. He further paid tribute to the Iraqi security forces for their work on the front line of the fight against Daesh.
The Secretary General noted that the NATO 2030 agenda agreed at the NATO Summit earlier in June involves stepping up training and capacity-building efforts in areas like counter-terrorism, stabilisation and defence reform. “Our Alliance continues to cooperate closely with partners across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Sahel to strengthen their institutions and support the fight against terrorism,” he said. Mr Stoltenberg noted that a NATO delegation recently travelled to Mauritania to discuss how to deepen cooperation with the country and with the G5 Sahel. He further noted that NATO has signed an agreement to provide logistical support to the Takuba Task Force, supporting counter-terrorism efforts in Mali.
“In NATO, we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with all of you through the Global Coalition, and with partner countries and organisations like the European Union and the United Nations, to ensure the enduring and global defeat of Daesh,” he concluded.