UAE participates in first meeting of IMCTC Ministers of Defence Council

Mohammed bin Ahmad Al Bawardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, headed the UAE delegation that participated in the first meeting of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition, IMCTC, Ministers of Defence Council, which took place today in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under the theme, "Allied Against Terrorism."

The country’s delegation included members of the National Media Council, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments, the Central Bank of the UAE, and several high-ranking officers and officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces.

During the meeting, the council presented its main topics for discussion, including the IMCTC’s general strategy to fight terrorism; its governing mechanisms to organise its operations, activities and future initiatives against terrorism, as part of its major intellectual, media and military efforts; combatting the funding of terrorism, and establishing its future mechanisms and frameworks to co-ordinate and unify the efforts of Islamic countries, in co-operation with international efforts to maintain global security and peace.

In his speech during the meeting, with the attendance of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, as well as representatives and a number of ministers of defence of IMCTC member countries, Al Bawardi stressed that the IMCTC, under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, is highly important, as it is a valuable opportunity to rid the Islamic world of terrorism through its mechanisms that prioritise the solidarity and co-operation of its member countries in the areas of information and exchanging knowledge and research, while strengthening their abilities to counter terrorism and eliminate its causes.

The coalition also provides a vital strategic umbrella for its member countries to benefit from each other’s capabilities and expertise, as well as to promote co-operation and solidarity under an Islamic framework, to eliminate one of the world’s most dangerous challenges, he added.

"The Islamic coalition needs to place multiple, renewable and sustainable strategies and plans in various areas, to eliminate terrorism from its roots, and effectively deal with the threats to the security of Arab and Islamic countries, in order to achieve its goals. That is why we must realise that any country, regardless of its capabilities and resources, cannot go through the war against terrorism alone. Therefore, working together against terrorism, through the coalition’s initiative to wage this fateful war, is an inevitable choice and necessary path for our future generations," he added