In a meeting with French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to provide further assistance to France in the fight against terrorism.

Hollande has actively sought support for the fight against terrorism, appealing to both the West and Russia.

The French president has been working hard to forge a coalition against Islamic State (IS) since the attacks in Paris on November 13, which claimed the lives of at least 130 people and injured hundreds.

On Monday, Hollande met British Prime Minister David Cameron in Paris and then traveled to Washington for a meeting with his US counterpart Barack Obama.

On Wednesday, the French president was back in Paris to meet Merkel, while he is scheduled to travel to Moscow for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

At a joint press conference after their meeting, Merkel promised to act “swiftly” in the fight against terrorism, Deutsche Welle quotes her as saying.

The German chancellor identified terrorism as the common enemy and was firm that IS has to be defeated militarily.

Merkel highlighted that cutting off revenue flows to IS should be the cornerstone of a joint strategy.

Hollande expressed hope that Germany could engage more in Iraq and Syria, in particular with reconnaissance flights.

Prior to the meeting, Germany vowed to send 650 soldiers to Mali to help French troops in their fight against Islamic militants there.

The two leaders also addressed the relations between Russia and Turkey, which have worsened since the downing of a Russian Su-24 warplane by Turkish fighter jets near the Turkish-Syrian border on Tuesday.

According to Hollande, efforts should be focused on easing the tensions between the two countries as this is important for forming a successful anti-IS coalition.