Moscow worried about asylum seekers in Baltics
Russia is keeping an eye on refugees arriving in Europe, including in Latvia and Estonia, as mass migration can pose a threat to Russians living or working abroad, says Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry.
Zakharova told ERR that mass migration is a problem for Russia as it is taking place very close to the country.
“In those nations [Estonia and Latvia] live a great number of people with a Russian passport or there are many of our tourists and people who go there on a work visa. For that reason the problem affects us directly,” she said.
She said refugee topics are discussed between Russia and the EU at the level of foreign policy chiefs, but the problem of terrorism is not discussed between Russia and NATO at all, adding that terrorists may be among the asylum seekers.
“We are keeping an eye on the situation and not without reason, and we are ready for cooperation on the question with any country or union of countries. The question is your own nations – they do not want to cooperate,” Zakharova said.
Editor: J.M. Laats