Obama calls on Russian Federation to focus on Islamic State group

Speaking on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Obama said, “We do not succumb to fear”. Fifteen countries have so far joined fight against ISIS and I believe Russian Federation will also target the militant group as it seeks a political settlement in Syria regarding the future of President Bashar al-Assad, he added. “So, they’re going to have to make an adjustment in terms of what they’re prioritizing.” he said. People, he said, must reject fear of terrorism.

“They can’t beat us on the battlefield, so they try to terrorise us into being afraid, and changing our patterns of behaviour, and panicking, and abandoning our allies and partners, and retreating from the world”. The president and world leaders are set to gather in Paris next week for long-scheduled climate talks.

Mr Obama also said it “would be helpful” if Russian Federation directed its focus on tackling Islamic State and spoke of his hopes Moscow would agree to a leadership transition in Syria.

He said that to-date more than 65 countries globally, including Malaysia, have joined hands in the Coalition Against IS led by the US.

Obama said the United States could never be against a single religion as it was made up of people from multiple religions, and warned against attempts to paint all Muslims with the same brush.

French President Francois Hollande is due to meet with Obama at the White House on Tuesday to discuss ways to bolster the global coalition fighting the Islamic State.Hollande then heads to Russian Federation for talks with Putin.

USA lawmakers are pushing legislation to tighten screening requirements for Syrian refugees; a few Republican presidential candidates want to halt their entry.

“The American people are right to be concerned”, Obama said Sunday. “That’s why I’ve devoted so much of my foreign policy to deepening America’s engagement with this region”, he said.