MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. Chief of the Russian presidential staff Sergey Ivanov on Thursday urged the Investigative Committee to counter possible attempts to stir up inter-ethnic conflicts in Crimea.

Ivanov told the committee that "such crimes should be investigated promptly and thoroughly."

He said that investigation of terrorist and extremist crimes was a top priority of the committee's work.

Ivanov warned the committee of a complicated crime situation in the North Caucasus and highlighted the importance of its cooperation with other law enforcement bodies and special services.