WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2023) Delegations from several non-member Central Asian states will attend the annual meeting of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, ISIS, banned in Russia) in Riyadh next week, US Deputy Special Envoy to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Ian McCary said on Friday.
"We are pleased to note that several Central Asian nations that aren't members of the coalition will be sending representatives to the ministerial, to join Secretary Blinken and our team in those discussions" McCary told reporters.
Senior officials from nearly all the 85 member states will be present at the meeting, McCary said, adding that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would be welcoming a new country into the Global Coalition.
McCary noted that over 30 foreign ministers would attend the meeting, which will be jointly chaired by Blinken and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, something he described as a testament to the international community's commitment and determination to destroy IS.
This year's meeting will notably focus on the challenges posed by IS and other terrorist groups in Africa, McCary said, where several groups have adopted their extremist ideology and are increasingly terrorizing the populations.
Other topics on the agenda will include talks on Afghanistan and growing cooperation with Central Asian states to address the mounting challenges posed by IS in the region after the Taliban (under UN sanctions for terrorism) took over the country.
McCary stated that the coalition's mission in Syria and Iraq has changed in nature since the end of the military campaign and is now focusing on humanitarian challenges in the region.
