US, Russia Can 'Effectively Work Together' in Areas Like Fighting Terror

The United States and Russia can partner in areas of mutual interest and have been effectively working together in the fight against international terrorism, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Saturday, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a brief on-the-go meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam, during which they approved a joint statement on Syria.

"The United States and Russia can effectively work together and we have been effectively collaborating in the effort to combat international terrorism," Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Monday.

The paper, prepared by experts from the two countries and coordinated between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US State Secretary Rex Tillerson, stipulates that the two leaders confirmed their determination to jointly fight against the Daesh terrorist group until its full defeat.

"The contacts of our two presidents and the documents that were approved by our two presidents in Danang [APEC summit host city], raise certain optimism. It has been clearly stated that we have common goals and tasks," the ambassador added.

The United States is leading an anti-terror coalition of dozens of nations in Iraq and Syria. The activities of the coalition in Syria are not authorized by the UN Security Council or by Damascus. Moscow launched its anti-terrorist operation in the country on September 30, 2015, at the request of the Syrian government.