Russia favors broader intl antiterrorist cooperation - Defense Minister Shoigu
CAIRO. Nov 24 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia has already arranged cooperation with the armed forces of France, Turkey, Jordan, and the United States in setting up an international antiterrorist coalition and proposes even broader cooperation, Russian Defense Minister Army Gen. Sergei Shoigu said.
"Certain progress has been made in coordinating joint actions. Cooperation with the French armed forces has just been arranged, and a round-the-clock direct communication channel has been established with Turkey," Shoigu said at negotiations with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisis in Cairo on Tuesday.
Russia is also maintaining contacts with Gulf countries, Shoigu said. "We have agreed with Jordan on setting up a working mechanism in Amman to coordinate actions in Syrian airspace. We have signed a memorandum with our American partners on preventing incidents and ensuring military aircraft flights in the course of the operation," he said.
"However, we propose even broader cooperation," he said.
In the context of Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal, "we favor the establishment of an international antiterrorist coalition capable of consolidating all states on the basis of international law and guided by the UN Charter," he said.
As concerns the Middle East affairs, as well as in other areas of its foreign policy, "Russia seeks to consistently promote a positive agenda and plan collective steps based on UN Charter principles," he said.