Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a speech this week that he thinks the West should focus on the threat of Islamic extremism rather than their differences with Russia over Ukraine, the BBC reports.
Blair said the West must put aside differences with Russia and China to combat the rise of religious extremism.
He argued the threat posed by a radical view which "distorts and warps Islam's true message" was "spreading across the world".
"It is destabilising communities and even nations. It is undermining the possibility of peaceful co-existence in an era of globalisation.
Additionally, Blair told the BBC that the West missed the opportunity to create an "optimistic solution" in Syria.
On the issue of Syria, Mr Blair said he understood the UK's reluctance not to take military action, but he would have pushed for the imposition of no-fly zones had he still been in office two years ago.
"I know what the difficult consequences are of intervention, but if you look at Syria you see the consequences of non-intervention, and non-intervention there is something for which we will pay a very heavy price."
