Saudi Arabia’s State Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf is welcomed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the first day of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, on July 7, 2017.

:: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reaffirmed before the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday that terrorism has no religion, for it is a crime that targets the entire world, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

Indeed, it does not differentiate between religions and ethnic groups, and Saudi Arabia condemns terrorism in all forms and manifestations, in a constant and unequivocal condemnation, wherever and by whomsoever committed, as one of the most serious threats to world peace and security.

The Kingdom stressed that combating terrorism and extremism and promoting the values of moderation is an international responsibility that requires effective cooperation and coordination among countries.

The Kingdom stressed the need to combat and prevent all sources and means of funding terrorism, expressing the will to work with all partners to combat the use of Internet and social media for terrorist or criminal purposes, including their use in recruitment and propaganda.

Opening session

This was unfolded in the intervention of Saudi Arabia during the opening session of the G20 leaders’ summit here, in the north of the Federal Republic of Germany under the title “Towards Building a Continuing World”, which will last for two days.

The Kingdom’s delegation was headed by the Minister of State and Member of the Cabinet Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf.

During the intervention, Dr. Assaf stressed the importance of working to ensure that the international financial system is not exploited by terrorists, corrupt and drug traffickers, calling for effective implementation of financial procedures to combat money laundering.

He also stressed the importance of development and job creation for young people as the best way to maximize their contribution and keep them away from the ideas of extremism and terrorism.

“Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia has been the target of terrorist organizations and countries that support terrorism for more than 20 years and have been threatened by direct, indirect and multiple-source terrorism.

The last of these has been the death of two security officers and the injury of more than a dozen of their colleagues in the last 48 hours in the eastern region of our country, he said.

At the forefront

He stressed that the Kingdom is at the forefront of the warring countries in all its forms and manifestations and is working closely and coordinated with the international community to combat terrorism and to pursue the terrorists and their organizations to drain sources of funding and fight extremism, including military measures.

The Kingdom affirms before the G20: Terrorism has no religion, a crime that targets the world as a first and foremost.

Dr. Al-Assaf said that the Kingdom has adopted a comprehensive strategy to eradicate terrorism and extremism, and has enacted regulations that criminalize funding or/and incite terrorism, criminalize travel to areas of conflict and adopt strict control over operations and remittances.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as part of these efforts, participated actively in the international coalition to fight against the US-led ISIS, he pointed out, adding that it also formed the Islamic Alliance for Combating Terrorism.

It participated in the joint presidency to prevent funding and imposed sanctions on individuals and organizations that finance terrorism identified by the Security Council, as well as joint lists with the US Treasury, he stated and exchanged information with states and organizations, noting that such cooperation had been highly appreciated by so many countries.

“To promote the values of moderation and fight extremist ideology, the Kingdom has launched the Global Center for the Fight against Extremist Thought with the participation of US President Donald Trump and the leaders of countries participating in the Arab-American-Islamic Summit, recently held, in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia Minister of State Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf at the G20 summit in Hamburg, on July 7, 2017.