Russia suggests convoking an international conference for a comprehensive study of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

Russia suggests convoking an international conference for a comprehensive study of terrorism and extremism in the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

“We put forward an initiative, to be considered by all regional and international powers, of launching a well-prepared international conference for a deep and comprehensive study into the problems of extremism and terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, to be held under the UN Security Council mediation,” Lavrov said on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq.

The foreign minister said that “underlying causes should be studied, not just symptoms for this rise in extremism.”