Russia 'Honest' in Willingness for Anti-ISIL Cooperation - French FM Fabius

Russia is willing to cooperate in confronting the threat posed by the Islamic State extremist group, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Fabius said in an interview with France Inter radio:

"This is openness, so to say, from Russia's side. We think that Russia is honest [in its intentions], and it makes sense to combine out efforts."

Remarks made by the foreign minister echo French President Francois Hollande, who called on Wednesday for a broad anti-ISIL coalition that includes both the United States and Russia. The president voiced his intention to travel to Washington and to Moscow next week to discuss coordinating joint efforts within a short time.

On November 13, extremists killed 129 people and injured over 350 in a series of coordinated attacks at various locations across Paris. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks in the French capital.

A Russian investigation concluded earlier this week, confirming that a Russia-owned Airbus A321 was crashed over the Sinai peninsula on October 31 as a result of terrorist activity. Moscow has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the deadly air explosion that killed 224 people, including many children.

Russia has been conducting an anti-ISIL air campaign in Syria since September 30 at the request of President Bashar Assad. A US-led coalition, including France, has been operating in Syria since September 2014 without Syrian government approval.