Updated 11:43 p.m. Moscow time.
PARIS, October 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and the United States could be more effective in their joint efforts on a number of global issues, including the fight against terrorism and the Ebola virus, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday, following the talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry.
"Russia and the United States play a special role in global efforts, aimed at resolving issues that concern all nations and all countries. In a number of cases, we can cooperate in a more effective way in order to improve the effectiveness of international community's efforts," Lavrov said.
"First and foremost, it concerns the fight against terrorism that is becoming the main threat in the Middle East and North Africa. The second issue, in [resolving] which we want international efforts to be a success, is the fight against the Ebola virus outbreak," the minister added.
The terrorist threat that is a matter of great concern for many countries worldwide is the Islamic State (IS) extremist group that is currently making advances in Syria and Iraq, where it has already established a caliphate on the territories it has captured.
The United States has formed an international coalition in order to fight the terrorist group, with the coalition members conducting airstrikes on IS positions since September. The United States launched airstrikes against IS militants in Iraq as early as August.
The current Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February and later spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal. According to the World Health Organization estimates, more than 4,000 people have lost their lives to the virus so far. Several cases of Ebola have already been registered outside West Africa.
