A US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIL, also known as Daesh) terrorist group in Syria since 2014. The strikes have not been authorized by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government or the UN Security Council.
"Russia is the largest country in the world and we are unable to have a dialogue and a strategy with her!" Fillon stressed on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly called for the creation of a major coalition to counter the threat posed by terrorism and extremism.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in September 2015, Putin called for a coalition to fight against Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States.
The necessity of the enhanced anti-terrorism cooperation has become evident in recent months following a series of major terrorist attacks, such as the downing of a Russian airliner over the Sinai Peninsula on October 31, 2015, attacks in Beirut on November 12, 2015, in Paris on November 13, 2015 and in Brussels on March 22.
