At the open session of the UN Security Council focusing on resolving conflicts and fighting terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Foreign Minister Kaljurand emphasized the central role of the already operating international coalition in the fight against ISIL.
According to Kaljurand, the spread of violent extremism and aggressive terrorism is extremely worrisome. “ISIL is the largest and most complex terrorist threat to peace and security in the Middle East, North Africa and the wider world,” Kaljurand said.
Estonia considers the activities of the existing coalition in the fight against ISIL to be extremely important. “The cooperation of the international community must continue, using all the possibilities within the current framework. It is necessary to avoid dangerous parallel lines of action”, Kaljurand emphasized. “Terrorism must be given a global, integrated and consistent response. Only in the case of close and carefully coordinated cooperation of countries and international organizations, is it possible to achieve lasting results,” she said.
According to the Foreign Minister, it is clear that achieving long-term stability in the Middle East and North Africa is only possible by resolving disputes between non-extremist political, ethnic and religious groups. “The key to an effective fight against ISIL and other extremist opponents lies in achieving a political solution to the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen. To this end, it is important to continue to support the efforts of the United Nations,” she added.
The open debate on the fight against terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa was led by Russia, which held the Presidency of the UN Security Council during the month of September.
On September 29, Foreign Minister Kaljurand attended the summit of the international coalition against ISIL chaired by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The situation in Syria was also discussed at the September 28 meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union, with the participation of United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura.
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/estonian-foreign-ministry/21842537452/in/d...
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