Photo: Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP
PARIS, 25 March /TASS/. France is ready to cooperate with Russia in the fight against terrorism, French President Emmanuel Macron said, commenting on Friday's terrorist attack on the Crocus City Hall concert hall near Moscow. The French leader stressed that further communication with Vladimir Putin would depend on the development of the situation.
"We are holding talks at all levels, both technical and ministerial, to possibly offer our cooperation based on the information we have that could be useful to the Russian side," the French leader said after arriving in French Guiana, according to a video of his meeting with reporters posted on the French presidency's social networking site X.
While the initial exchanges will take place at this level, "any further communication will depend on how the situation develops," Macron said when asked if he could revive dialogue with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
According to Macron, France has seen its share of terrorism in recent times. Thus, the Islamic State (or IS, banned in Russia) terrorist organization, which is believed to be behind the Moscow attack, has attempted several terrorist acts on French soil in recent months, he added.
On the evening of 22 March, the Crocus City Hall music venue in Krasnogorsk, Moscow Region, just outside Moscow, was the target of a terrorist attack. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the current death toll is 137, but it may rise. The Moscow Region Health Ministry said 182 people were injured.
Eleven people suspected of involvement in the terrorist attack have been detained, including four gunmen who were arrested in the Bryansk region southwest of Moscow as they tried to seek refuge by crossing the nearby Ukrainian border.
In a televised speech, President Vladimir Putin said that according to preliminary information, the Ukrainian side had prepared a "window" at the border, especially for the unobserved passage of terrorists. He promised that all those behind the attack on Crocus City Hall would be identified and punished and declared 24 March a day of state mourning for the victims.
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