NATO Secretary General addresses Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed Foreign Ministers of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS on Thursday (4 June 2020), at a meeting co-chaired by Italy and the United States and held via video-conference.
“We have made enormous progress; Daesh has lost control of the territories it once held; but the threat of terrorism remains,” the Secretary General said. “That is exactly why NATO continues to support the international fight against terrorism and is ready to further step up its efforts; in February, NATO Defence Ministers took the decision to enhance NATO’s training mission in Iraq; they also agreed to look at what more NATO can do in the wider Middle East region; we remain committed to these decisions,” he added.
“COVID-19 and the security situation have impacted our operations; and NATO’s train and advise mission has been partially paused, but we are now rebuilding our capacity and activities; going forward, our objective remains the same: building self-sustaining Iraqi Security Forces, able to prevent the return of Daesh, stabilise their country, and fight terrorism,” the Secretary General highlighted. The Secretary General noted the importance of moving forward in close coordination and consultation with the Global Coalition and the Iraqi government.
More than 35 Foreign Ministers attended the meeting.