On June 23, 2021, Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy to Saudi Arabia Robert E. A. Borje and Mansour Al Shammari, the secretary general of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology (Etidal), recognized the necessity of sharing best practices in countering the threat posed by violent extremism.
In an article published by The Philippine News Agency, among the concerns discussed between the Philippine and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia include the use of cyberspace and social media platforms to advance violence and violent ideologies.
Presidential Assistant Borje visited Etidal in Riyadh as part of the Duterte administration’s thrust of working with other countries and organizations to fight terrorism and violent extremism.
He received a briefing on Etidal’s approach to analyzing social media and digital activity to detect extremism ideology generation and to promote tolerance and moderation.
During the meeting with Etidal’s secretary general, Borje noted President Rodrigo Duterte’s deep resolve to combat extremist ideology given the Philippines’ experience in Marawi City in 2017.
He said the Philippines understands very clearly that terrorism is not a problem of religion, race or culture, emphasizing the need to continue to promote dialogue, understanding and cooperation among religions, cultures and civilizations to achieve peace and stability between the two countries and the world.
Borje also noted the possibility of triangular cooperation between the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations (UN) as well as the academe and research organizations.
Source: pna.gov.ph
