Ministerial meeting of the Coalition against Daesh in Rome: conclusions

On Monday 28 June, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès travelled to Rome, Italy, for the ministerial meeting of the International Coalition to Defeat Daesh. This is the first face-to-face meeting in roughly two years. As a reminder, on 30 March, Belgium co-chaired a virtual meeting of ministers with the United States. "The destruction of the so-called caliphate should not lead us to believe that Daesh has been definitively defeated. The terrorist group is still very active, as we have seen on the ground in recent months. Our vigilance must therefore be maintained. The fight against terrorism continues to be a structuring axis of our foreign policy and during this meeting, Belgium reiterated the commitment of its entire government within the Coalition: both on the military level, with the help of our F-16s deployed in operations in Iraq and north Syria; but also in the long-term policy of stabilising the region and supporting the affected populations," stated the Deputy Prime Minister at the outset. Sophie Wilmès is also pleased with the arrival of new members within the Coalition: "The more allies we have within the Coalition, the stronger we will be in the fight against terrorism."

Monday's discussions focused on the situations in Iraq and Syria. In general, the Coalition's main mission remains the elimination of the last remnants of Daesh on the ground.

In Iraq, the security situation remains particularly worrying in view of the increase in attacks orchestrated both by Daesh and by militias directly targeting the Coalition. Ministers recognised the efforts made by the Iraqi authorities and the need to continue to support them. "The Iraqi government and Prime Minister Kadhimi can count on the support of the Coalition and Belgium in their efforts to increase the country's security capabilities and ultimately stabilise the country. In this context, I am pleased that the expansion of the NATO mission (NMI) was approved last February," comments Sophie Wilmès.

Regarding Syria, Belgium continues to advocate that more attention be paid to the humanitarian situation. In this perspective, our country has actively advocated for the extension of the United Nations Security Council resolution on the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid, which it helped to have adopted in June 2020.

Finally, the ministers discussed the issue of international subsidiaries, which Daesh tends to strengthen in order to maintain its legitimacy on the international stage. The Coalition is considering what role it could play outside its traditional area, particularly in Africa. For Sophie Wilmès, "The Sahel is a major concern regarding the expansionist intentions of Daesh in Africa. Belgium supports the development of an integrated comprehensive approach in the region that includes, among other things, assisting our local partners on the military level, the intensification of our diplomatic action on the ground, and the development of assistance to improve local governance. For this approach to succeed, cooperation with our Sahelian partners and their ownership of the strategy will be essential."