Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, has described the first meeting of the Council of Ministers of Defence in the countries of the Islamic Military Coalition to combat terrorism as an important and pioneering step on the way to confront terrorism, violence and extremism with a unified collective will.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted Dr. Al Zayani as reiterating that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's leadership of this Islamic coalition is based on its outstanding stature among Arab nations.

He expressed his confidence in the ability of the Islamic nation to defeat terrorism, which he said, is a strange phenomenon to the Islamic religion, which prohibits the shedding of blood and calls for tolerance, harmony and cooperation.