Russia Shares UN Concerns About Migrant Deaths In Mediterranean Sea - Foreign Ministry

Russia Shares UN Concerns About Migrant Deaths in Mediterranean Sea - Foreign Ministry

Russia shares the UN Refugee Agency's concerns about the death rate of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th October, 2018) Russia shares the UN Refugee Agency's concerns about the death rate of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The statement comes amid the 69th Session of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Executive Committee, which opened in Geneva on Monday.

"The UNHCR leadership expressed its concern that 1,700 migrants died this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach Europe. The Russian side shares these concerns," the ministry's Information and Press Department said.

European countries have been experiencing a large-scale migration crisis since 2015 due to the influx of thousands of people fleeing crises in the middle East and North Africa. These migrants are trying to reach EU countries through various routes, including via Italy, Greece, Turkey and the Balkans.