RIYADH: Patrick Simonnet, head of the EU delegation to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman, recently visited the headquarters of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC) in Riyadh.

IMCTC Secretary-General Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Moghedi received the EU diplomat and the accompanying delegation. Al-Moghedi briefed the visiting dignitaries about the coalition’s goals, achievements and the initiatives it has taken to fight terrorism in different forms.

He said the coalition represents an integrated system of intellectual and media initiatives and also aims to fight terror financing to effectively root out this menace. The IMCTC chief said the coalition aims to enhance cooperation and coordination among member states.

Simonnet said the EU looks forward to enhance cooperation with the Islamic military alliance in different fields.

Al-Moghedi also presented the EU ambassador with a memento.

The IMCTC is an alliance of 41 countries that forms a pan-Islamic unified front in the global fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

In coordination with the relevant authorities in the member countries, it promotes best practices, advances legal, regulatory, and operational frameworks, and facilitates information sharing to curb terror financing.

It also aims to assist member countries to enhance their military capabilities to fight terrorism.

The intellectual aspect specializes in preserving the universal message of Islam, promoting the values of moderation, tolerance and the preparation of targeted messages to counter radical ideology.

The media side is based on producing digital, media and other informative content to refute the rhetoric and claims of terrorist organizations and extremists.