ERBIL, Kurdistan Region--The Saudi government has made the largest contribution among its coaltion partners to revitalization efforts in north and northeastern Syria to date with $100 million, the Saudi government said on Thursday.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in its continued commitment to serve as stabilizing force in the region, has contributed $100 million dollars for Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS-supported stabilization projects in areas liberated from ISIS in northeast Syria," read a statement published by the Saudi embassy in Washington DC.
"This is the largest Coalition contribution to date for these liberated areas, and follows the pledge made by Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir during the July 12, 2018 Global Coalition Ministerial Conference in Brussels, hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo."
The statement read that the money will help revitalize areas devastated during the war with ISIS.
"This substantial contribution will play a critical role in the Coalition’s efforts to revitalize communities, such as Raqqa, that have been devastated by ISIS terrorists," it read. "The funds will focus on projects to restore livelihoods and essential services in the areas of health, agriculture, electricity, water, education, transportation (key roads and bridges), and rubble removal."
Riyadh says that the $100 million contribution "will save lives, help facilitate the return of displaced Syrians, and help ensure that ISIS cannot reemerge to threaten Syria, its neighbors, or plan attacks against the international community."
The statement added that the contribution represents "the Kingdom’s leading role from the earliest days of the Global Coalition as a stabilizing force and its campaign to defeat ISIS in all dimensions. It also represents the Kingdom’s close partnership with the Unites States and the Coalition with an aim to promote sharing the responsibility among all partners to face regional threats together as a united Coalition."
