Egypt's President, Russia’s Envoy on Syria Discuss Fight Against Daesh

The meeting of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Russia's special presidential envoy on the Syria settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, was focused on efforts being made at the global and regional level to combat Daesh, according to Egyptian president's office.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi and Russia's special presidential envoy on the Syria settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, discussed the efforts of the international community to counter the Islamic State (ISIL, or Daesh in Arabic) jihadist group, the Egyptian president's office said Saturday.

"The meeting was focused on efforts being made at the global and regional level to combat Daesh. Both sides reaffirmed the need to block the source of its funding and weapons supplies, and stressed that no side can be allowed to use the conflict in Syria for its selfish political interests," the statement by the administration read.

Daesh is a violent extremist group that has seized large areas in Iraq and Syria since 2014 and is notorious for committing many human rights atrocities.

Russia, which has outlawed and designated Daesh a terrorist organization, has been conducting airstrikes against the group's positions in Syria since September 30, following a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad.