The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia wishes to emphasise, once again, that it does not and has not supported, financially, morally or through any other means, the terrorist organisation known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Islamic caliphate nor has the Kingdom supported any other terrorist network.

Despite having clarified this issue on numerous occasions, several inaccurate, misleading and distorted allegations, made by certain media outlets in the UK, require us to do so again. These false allegations have persisted despite multiple direct cooperative attempts to provide reliable and factual information by the Royal Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in London.

Saudi Arabia has been at the forefront of combating terrorism both domestically and internationally. In Syria specifically Saudi Arabia has repeatedly identified the provision of support to forces of moderation as the most effective manner to stunt the growth of such extremism. Through the Friends of Syria, Saudi Arabia has provided support only to the moderate Syrian opposition. All these groups share a common goal in supporting a political transition in Syria that will see the removal of the Assad regime. We believe it is the lack of international involvement that has paved the way for terrorist affiliated networks to breed within Syria.

We urge the British and international media to take an in-depth look into the financial backing and organisational structure of this terrorist organisation, as well as to report the situation in the region objectively and fairly and to verify allegations before reporting them as fact.

8th July 2014