The telephone talks took place on Wednesday, at the initiative of the French side, the ministry said in a statement released on its website.
"In the course of the telephone conversation an exchange of opinions took place on the situation and future cooperation perspectives in the fight against the terrorist group ISIL [ISIL] in Syria," the statement said, adding that Gerasimov and de Villiers agreed to maintain contact.
France is part of an international US-led coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq and Syria since September 2014. Paris intensified its air attacks after Daesh, prohibited in many countries including Russia, claimed responsibility for the November 13 terror acts that left over 100 people dead in Paris.
Russia has been conducting airstrikes against Daesh in Syria since September 2015, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
French President Francois Hollande and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed to coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts last week, during the French leader’s visit to Moscow.
