Iran, Russia must be engaged to defeat ISIL: EU

The European Union’s foreign policy chief says the 28-Nation bloc must engage Iran and Russia to defeat the ISIL Takfiri terrorists and end the conflict in Syria, Press TV reports.

Federica Mogherini made the comments on Monday, following a meeting by EU foreign ministers.

“Iran is not only the country with which we have nuclear talks, it is also a regional important player and this practically means that we will have to engage with Iran also on its neighborhood,” said Mogherini during a news conference.

Over the recent months, EU member states have been debating the union’s approach to Syria.

“The European Union is ready to engage with all regional and international actors with influence over the Syrian parties,” Mogherini added.

She added that the EU backs efforts by the United Nations to arrange a ceasefire between government troops and foreign-backed militants in Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo.

The aim of the ceasefire is to help ease the desperate plight of people in Syria’s second-largest city.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly conflict since March 2011. Western powers and their regional allies – especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey – are the main supporters of the ISIL militants operating inside Syria.

More than 200,000 people have so far died in the conflict, according to the UN.