MOSCOW: Russia Monday offered its help in the international fight against ISIS as global powers step up efforts to help Iraq battle jihadists.
"We have got a contribution to make to the joint efforts in the specific area of ensuring security in Iraq through consolidating society and mobilizing it in a fight with terrorism and extremism," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in Paris.
"We will do this in parallel with promoting a broader aim of starting a comprehensive, deep analysis of every aspect of terrorist threats," Lavrov said in remarks released by his ministry.
He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an international conference convened to formulate a common strategy against the ISIS militants.
Representatives from around 30 countries and international organizations gathered after ISIS beheaded a third Western hostage over the weekend and the United States said it was considering airstrikes on jihadists in Syria.
"We are also providing military and other assistance to Syria and other countries in the region which face -maybe to a lesser extent - a serious terrorist threat," Lavrov added.
"These are our partners in Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen and Jordan."
In July, Moscow announced it was delivering combat helicopters and fighter jets to Iraq.
Russia, which is locked in a showdown with the West over Ukraine, said last week that unilateral U.S. airstrikes in Syria would be a crude violation of international law.