Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Monday, in an address to the Rhodes Conference for Security and Stability, that the terrorist phenomenon is the greatest challenge in the region as it aims at dismantling societies and shaking their stability, "It requires collaboration to stop the expansion of terrorist organisations, by supporting the concept of the nation state and consolidating its bases and institutions, which form the core of the Egyptian vision for meeting the region's challenges and crises," Shoukry said, foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abo Zeid told state news agency MENA. Terrorism should be challenged with a perspective that includes political, developmental and ideological dimensions, Shoukry added. The second annual Rhodes Conference, held 22 and 23 May in Greece, is attended by officials from various southeastern European, Mediterranean and Arab Gulf nations. The conference focuses on three topics: common challenges across the region; education, culture, and environment; and reinforcing security and stability. The agenda also includes illegal migration, terrorism, and the crises in Libya and Syria. The foreign minister quoted President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's speech at a Riyadh summit on Sunday, asking: "who is financing terrorist organisations and providing them safe haven? Who purchases the natural resources they have control of, like oil? Who is involved in arms and drugs deals with them? And how do they get to Media outlets?" Shoukry also spoke on Egyptian efforts to resolve the crises in Libyan and Syrian to reach stability and unity in both countries, Abo Zeid told MENA. The foreign minister underlined the importance of education and culture in reinforcing cultures of dialogue and coexistence, capable of achieving security and stability and confronting violent and extremist ideologies. Shoukry is expected to hold bilateral meetings with a number of participating foreign ministers during his visit. Source: Ahram online
