Russian foreign minister says rebels no risk in Sochi

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St. Petersburg, Russia • Russia's foreign minister says his nation's security agencies will make sure that Russian nationals fighting alongside rebels in Syria don't pose a threat to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with The Associated Press and Bloomberg that the potential threat of these Russians coming home to launch attacks "would be taken into account very seriously."

Lavrov said Russian and the U.S. security agencies have agreed to cooperate to strengthen Sochi security, but he refused to say how. The chief of Russia's top security agency has said that about 200 Russians have joined the Syrian rebels.

Lavrov also said Islamic militants in Russia's North Caucasus won't pose a threat in Sochi, saying that Russian security agencies have become efficient in fighting them.