French General is Happy Russia, France 'Working Together' to Fight Daesh

Russo-French cooperation in the fight against Islamic extremism in Syria is a necessary step to bring peace to Middle East, Europe and the whole world, French General Didier Tauzin told Sputnik in the aftermath of an official meeting between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Tauzin, who is a decorated French general, known for his role in stopping the 1994 Rwandan genocide, said it's essential to destroy Daesh (Islamic State) and he's happy that Russia is working together with France, as one needs to have a big army to effectively fight the terrorists in Syria.

"Russo-French cooperation is a realistic approach in the fight against Daesh, and this thought has finally prevailed in Paris. We must also join our forces against those who support Daesh," Tauzin told Sputnik.

The General warned about Turkey and accused it of playing a double-game. On the one hand, Turkey states that it wants to fight Daesh together with other countries; on the other hand, Ankara has been repeatedly accused of supporting terrorists in Syria. This has to be uncovered and properly dealt with, Tauzin said.

The international community should also make sure that in addition to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which were also accused of siding with Daesh behind the scenes, stopped supporting extremists, the General added.

Meanwhile, Shoigu and Le Drian agreed that Daesh is the common enemy and expressed concern over the expansion of the activities of the terrorist group in North Africa. The two defense ministers also discussed the prospects of coordinating bilateral efforts in the fight against Daesh.