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Putin discusses measures to minimize European migrant crisis impacts

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with permanent members of the Russian Security Council

MOSCOW, September 7. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with permanent members of the Russian Security Council to discuss measures to minimize threats to Russia from the migration crisis in Europe, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"Participants in the meeting exchanged view on measures to be taken to minimize negative impacts on Russia of the current migration situation in European countries," he said.

The aggravation of conflicts in a number of Middle East and African countries in 2015 drove thousands of people to flee their homes to seek shelter in Europe. In January-September 2015, as many as 351,300 migrants have arrived in Europe. The migrant crisis in Europe has aggravated in the past month, with refugees trying to literally storm border of European countries and seizing trains bound for European Union states. The problem came into the fore after as many as 71 refugees from Syria were found dead in a truck in Austria. Experts say the migrant flow to the European Union might reach one million by the end of the year.

Peskov also said the meeting centered round "current issues of the domestic and international agenda."

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, speakers of both houses of the Russian parliament - Valentina Matviyenko of the Federation Council upper house and Sergey Naryshkin of the State Duma (lower parliament house), chief of the Kremlin administration Sergey Ivanov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev, his deputy Rashid Nurgaliyev, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail Fradkov and permanent member of the Russian Security Council Boris Gryzlov.