Minister of Foreign Affairs (MAE) Bogdan Aurescu has attended, on Wednesday, the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS, hosted by the Morocco, in cooperation with the United States of America, in Marrakech, context in which he announced that Romania will launch a Fund for the Future of Africa through Peace, Education and Development.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), Minister Aurescu reaffirmed, in his address, Romania's commitment to support the specific activities of the coalition, both within its Forces, as well as through the national contribution to support stabilization efforts and granting of development assistance to the states affected by the actions of ISIS/Daesh.
He reiterated Romania's interest in ensuring security and stability in the Middle East and Africa, "where there is a rise in the terrorist phenomenon," and emphasized the firm support for African states in the Sahel region, committed to combating networks affiliated to ISIS/Daesh and other extremist organizations, in accordance with the commitments made by President Klaus Iohannis at the summit of the Coalition for the Sahel in Paris on February 16 and within the European Union - African Union Summit on February 17 and 18.
"Minister Bogdan Aurescu reconfirmed Romania's commitments in the fight against terrorism in the Middle East, with emphasis placed on support granted to Iraq, as well as in the Sahel region. The head of Romanian diplomacy conveyed the growing concerns regarding the security situation in Africa, especially in the Sahel region, and emphasized the consistent contribution assumed by Romania in the international missions to combat the terrorist phenomenon in Africa, both within the Global Coalition against Daesh, as well as in other formats," MAE shows.
The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister expressed Romania's support for partners in Africa in their efforts to counteract the activity of terrorist networks, recalling the political decision taken at the highest level, in 2021, regarding the participation with a military contingent to the multinational Task Force Takuba in coordination with G5-Sahel partners.
"The head of Romanian diplomacy made an appeal to the partners within the coalition to convict and reject malignant actions of so-called private military companies affiliated to the Russian Federation and present in Africa, especially the Wagner Group, which is endangering the efforts of countries in the region to obtain a lasting peace and build good governance," MAE mentions.
Bogdan Aurescu emphasized the interdependence of Europe, Africa and the Middle East in what regards ensuring the security of citizens in relation to the terrorist threat put forth by ISIS/Daesh and other affiliated terrorist groups. Furthermore, he emphasized that beyond the security dimensions, it's necessary to grant special attention to education, which needs to be a central aspect of international efforts to prevent and combat the terrorist phenomenon in Africa. In this context, the minister mentioned that Romania will launch a Fund for Future of Africa through Peace, Education and Development, as part of the multi-annual budget planning of the Official Assistance for Development, with the Sahel region being a priority.
Romania intends to implement projects meant to contribute directly to the promotion of stability, good governance and resilience in Sahel, for example in the realm of combating disinformation or managing civilian emergency situations, MAE explains.
Bringing together over 75 representatives of states and international organizations which are members of the Coalition against Daesh, among which most NATO and EU member-states, partner-states in the Western Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, as well as the European Union, NATO, INTERPOL, the event in Morocco offered the opportunity of a review of successful actions in past year. In this framework, the need to continue efforts for the reconstruction of areas liberated from ISIS/Daesh control, in order to prevent the resurgence of terrorist networks, was emphasized.
The assembled representatives convened also to maintain commitments in what regards actions in the civil prevention domain and that of combating ISIS/Daesh, in the sense of stabilizing, combating the financing of terrorism, the processes for reintegration and rehabilitation, in parallel with the actions to investigate and judge those who've committed crimes and atrocities in the region.
According to MAE, special attention was granted to developments in Africa, where the tendencies for reorientation and reorganization of terrorist networks affiliated to ISIS/Daesh is causing increasing concern. In this context, the coalition will consolidate cooperation with national authorities and with all regional and international organizations involved, in order to combat as efficiently as possible the spread of the terrorist phenomena in Africa.
As part of the reunion, co-chaired by the Morrocan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs with the US State Department, Victoria Nuland, the Declaration of the Global Coalition against Daesh was agreed upon and the organization of the future session in this format in 2023 was also agreed upon.
The US announced, on September 10, 2014, the formation of an international coalition to fight against ISIS/Daesh. In this sense, the efforts to bring forth a military action against ISIS/Daesh were centralized and consolidated through the initiation of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR). The coalition functions on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 2178 (regarding foreign fighters) and acts mainly within the OIR led by the US, on the basis of Article 51 of the UN Charter, with the objective to neutralize and, ultimately, destroy ISIS/Daesh.
Presently, the coalition is made up of 85 states and international organizations and has a secretariat coordinated by the US, in Washington.
Romania is committed since 2016 both as part of the Coalition Forces, within the OIR and the NATO mission in Iraq, as well as through the contribution for stabilization and reconstruction in states affected by ISIS/Daesh actions.
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