Mohammed bin Amin Al-Jeffery.

:: Mohammed bin Amin Al-Jeffery, deputy chairman of Shoura Council, stressed that Saudi Arabia’s position on terrorism and extremism is a firm one deriving from the Islamic Shariah, the source of the Kingdom’s statutes and regulations.

Al-Jeffery was speaking on Friday at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Joint Seminar of the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group and the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defense and Security Cooperation at the Italian Parliament headquarters in Rome.

Al-Jeffery underlined the Kingdom’s efforts in fighting terrorism, including the establishment of the Islamic Military Alliance, hosting the historic Arab-Islamic-American Summit in May 2017 and adopting historic and strong decisions to fight terrorism in all its forms and stop its finance, as well as the establishment of the Ideological War Center in Riyadh to combat extremism.

He also pointed out that the Kingdom has signed and ratified the UN resolutions fighting terrorism and the terror-financing sources, enacted many regulations fighting this scourge, criminalized any participation in hostilities, and adopted a blacklist of the terrorist organizations around the world, including Daesh, Hezbollah, Al-Qaeda, and the Houthis.

Al-Jeffery added: “Saudi Arabia is a target for the terrorist organizations. Since 1992, more than 100 terrorist operations have attacked the Kingdom. However, the Kingdom has foiled 260 terrorist operations and helped save many lives in friendly states by sharing intelligence, participated in every international effort against this scourge and supported the UN with a generous amount of $100 million.”

Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni opened the forum, saying that NATO has a lot of responsibilities in ensuring stability and security around the world. NATO and other friendly states are facing many challenges, the main one being terrorism. He also stressed the importance of international cooperation in standing united against this scourge.

On the sidelines of the forum, Al-Jeffery met with Paolo Alli, chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Al-Jeffery stressed that the Kingdom is keen to promote bilateral relations in all organizations, to collaborate in clarifying the Kingdom’s position on issues of common interest, and to participate in every effort aiming to promote security and stability in the world.

On his side, Alli stressed the importance of the Kingdom’s role on the regional and international map, and its great efforts that contribute directly in supporting the world’s security and peace.

The Saudi delegation at the meeting included two members of Shoura Council, Mohammed Al-Matiri and Dr. Ali Al-Naim, the Saudi Ambassador to Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Head of the Kingdom’s Mission to the EU, Abdulrahman bin Suleiman Al-Ahmad.