Abu Dhabi: The UAE has reaffirmed its support for “regional forces of moderation, stability and openness” that are battling extremist ideologies in the Arab world.
The UAE reject attempts to reshape the world along sectarian and extremist lines, Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, told a conference yesterday.
The UAE is “a model of tolerance and moderation in a region that has too often been driven by extremism. Our society has undergone massive changes without sparking the violence that has affected others and we’re proud of this achievement and of providing inspiration in a region where good news and good practices are few and far apart,” Dr Gargash said in a keynote address at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate.
He was articulating the UAE’s willingness to stand up for values such as national identity, stability and an open-minded approach to how society and states should be governed.
The two-day conference is organised by the Abu Dhabi think tank Emirates Policy Centre (EPC) whose director, Dr Ebtisam Al Qutbi, said that the EPC acts with the conviction that GCC states, with their strategic depth, are not just recipients of regional and international powers’ impact, but are also regional and international actors as well. The conference includes a range of academics, experts and government officials from the GCC and the US, China, Russia and the EU.
The aim of the conference is to discuss regional issues and their impact on the Gulf nations, as well as strategies, in an effort to combat some of the problems facing the Middle East region together with international counterparts.
“In these troubled times, there is an urgent need to enhance our common understanding of regional and global challenges and to align our strategic thinking to check emerging threats. Nowhere is this more the case than here in the Middle East, where regional peace and stability are once more under threat,” Dr Ebtisam said.
In his speech, Dr Gargash also highlighted the threat of extremism in the region, from groups such as Al Qaida and Daesh (the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant), and urged the need for a coherent strategy to counter such extremist groups and ideologies.
“The UAE has repeatedly warned about the growing threat that extremist actors and ideologies pose to our region,” he said.
“We need to acknowledge that these actors and their radical ideologies by their nature cannot be moderated, manipulated, or contained. They are fundamentally opposed to the tolerant values and moderate agenda that unite us in the UAE with many of our international partners.”
He said that combating extremism requires a broad range of tools and a sustained effort by the international community. “Although military operations and intelligence cooperation will form an important part of these efforts, it is crucial that our cooperation extends to other areas as well.”
Those areas, he added, include following military gains by creating political conditions on the ground, financial controls, immigration and cultural and educational measures.
Dr Gargash said the UAE would work with its partners “in all aspects of these efforts”.
On the issue of Syria and Iraq, the minister welcomed the formation of a new unity government in Iraq, but warned that the leading cause of instability in Syria and Iraq was the sectarian policies carried out by the respective governments.
His sentiments were echoed by Nato Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow, who warned against the rising threat of extremism and the need for nations to cooperate against the threat.
“Daesh’s violent ideology is aggravating extremism and sectarianism poses a fundamental threat to the security and stability of all our countries and to the very fabric of our societies,” Vershbow warned.
A wide range of tools would be needed to combat extremist groups like Daesh, from military engagement to rebuilding local forces, as well as countering Daesh’s hijacking of Islam, said Vershbow.
—With additional inputs from Sami Zaatari, a trainee at Gulf News
