Russia concerned about ISIL's presence on border with Tajikistan - Kremlin chief of staff
HELSINKI. Nov 10 (Interfax) - Russian presidential chief of staff Sergei Ivanov is concerned about the presence of supporters of the terrorist organization Islamic State (ISIL) in northern Afghanistan, close to the border with Tajikistan.
Speaking at a news briefing in Helsinki, Ivanov said the situation in Afghanistan had been addressed at negotiations with the Finnish leadership.
"The Finnish side has raised the issue of the situation in Afghanistan, as it is concerned about the influx of refugees from this country. As many as 26,000 refugees, primarily from Afghanistan, have entered Finland through Sweden this year," Ivanov said.
These are refugees from northern Afghanistan, where ISIL followers are controlling part of the territory, he said.
"Russia is also concerned about the fact of ISIL's presence on the border with Tajikistan," Ivanov said.
Asked how many refugees from Ukraine there are in Russia now, Ivanov said, "there are a total of 2.6 million people from Ukraine in Russia, including 1.6 million refugees."