Estonian President Toomas Henrik Ilves called on Monday for closer cooperation with Russia in combating illegal immigration to EU countries.

"I mean cooperation between the police and border protection services of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden, as well as our cooperation with Russia, because it is from there that illegal refugees are attempting to penetrate EU countries," Ilves said.

He said the greater part of illegal refugees, most of them Afghan nationals, sought to get to Estonia across the Russian-Estonian border.

He stressed, however, that the Estonia border "is well protected."

TALLINN, March 8 (RIA Novosti)