13:43, 3 February 2014

Obama finds Sochi a safe city but can’t ‘discount’ terror threats

Law enforcers patrolling Sochi streets. Photo by Svetlana Kravchenko for the ‘Caucasian Knot’.

Although the risk of terror acts during the Olympic Games in Sochi is real, the capital city of the Games is safe, said the President of the United States Barack Obama.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that On January 21 Barack Obama discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the issue of cooperation in securing the Sochi Olympics. The topic was also raised during the talks of the Defence Ministers of the two countries on January 5.

As Barack Obama told CNN in his exclusive interview on January 31, Russian authorities are well aware of possible threats to the population during the Olympics; therefore, the security of the city will be ensured.

“I would say that if you want to go to the Olympics, you should go to the Olympics. We're not discouraging, in any way, Americans from participating in what is just always an amazing, wonderful event”, President Obama said.

In his turn, Michael McFaul, the US Ambassador to Russia, said on February 2, as quoted by the Russia Today, that the security measures taken in Sochi are much stronger than those taken in 2002 during the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City.