Government | Monday 22 May, 2017 9:47 am |

Eliminating terror and extremism is not a one-country responsibility, but a challenge facing all nations that requires them to unite to overcome it, US President Donald Trump said Sunday while addressing the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh. 

In his first speech on foreign soil, in Saudi Arabia, Trump said the fight against extremism is “a battle between good and evil,” calling on Muslim nations to take the lead in stamping out terror.

“I stand before you as a representative of the American people to deliver a message of friendship and hope. That is why I chose to make my first foreign visit a trip to the heart of the Muslim world, to the nation that serves as custodian of the two holiest sites in the Islamic faith,” Trump said in his address, which mainly focused on the importance of unity against extremism and terrorism.

“I ask you to join me, to join together, to work together, and to fight together, because united we will not fail… The path to peace begins right here,” Trump said.

“Every nation has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no quarter on their soil… But the nations of the Middle East cannot wait for American power to crush this enemy for them. The nations of the Middle East will have to decide what kind of future they want for themselves, for their countries and for their children. It is a choice between two futures, and it is a choice America cannot make for you. A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and extremists,” Trump said, adding that the US is committed to adjusting its strategies to meet evolving threats and new facts.

“Our goal is a coalition of nations who share the aim of stamping out extremism and providing our children a hopeful future that does honor to God,” he said, adding that a gathering of so many world leaders is a symbol of shared resolve and mutual respect.