Egypt voices support for Russia's proposal to form anti-terrorist coalition in Middle East

Egypt expressed support for Russia's proposal for creating an international coalition to combat terrorism in the Middle East, where the extremist group Islamic State (IS) has occupied large swaths of territories in Iraq and Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday.

Putin spoke at a press conference in the day after having had talks with visiting Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

"We have stressed the fundamental importance of forming a broad anti-terrorist front with the participation of key international players and countries of the region, including Syria," RIA Novosti reported, quoting Putin as saying.

There is no further detail regarding formation of the front.

During their talks, the two leaders discussed issues concerning fighting against actions of radical groups, primarily those of the IS.

In June, Putin proposed establishment of an international framework to create a coalition fighting regional terrorism. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later clarified that it would not be a "classical military coalition." Endit