French Defense Minister in Moscow for anti-’ISIS’ Cooperation Talks

Local Editor

French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will meet with his Russian counterpart in Moscow Monday to request an increase in strikes against "ISIS" in Syria.

Talks will also touch on how the two countries can share intelligence relating to the extremist group, Le Drian told journalists before travelling to Russia.

"We will discuss what we consider to be terrorist groups, and how Russia might increase its action against Daesh [an Arabic acronym for "ISIS"], which is our sole enemy," he said.

Le Drian said he hoped France would also be able to cooperate with Russia in other areas.

"There are many Russian speakers in Daesh which it would be useful for us to have information on, and likewise we could perhaps provide information on their French speakers," the minister said.

"Intelligence sharing requires giving on both sides," he said.

Le Drian and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu will also discuss ways to avoid any collisions between Russian and French aircraft in Syrian airspace.

France recently deployed its aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Gulf, with 26 bombers on board, for operations against "ISIS" in Iraq and Syria. Other aircraft are also stationed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

The defense ministers' talks follow a visit to Moscow last month by French President Francois Hollande, when he sought support from Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for increased action against "ISIS" in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.

The two leaders agreed to "intensify" and "coordinate" attacks, mainly by targeting the transportation of the oil products which finance the group and through the exchange of intelligence.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team