Moscow, May 26 (IANS): Russia is ensuring working conditions at all sites being built for the FIFA World Cup 2018 strictly comply with labour and immigration laws, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

Ministry's official spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Thursday asserted this in response to allegations of violations of the rights of "guest" workers from the North Korea working at the World Cup construction site of Zenit-Arena stadium in St Petersburg, reports Tass news agency.

The allegations were levelled by the football federations of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Iceland and filed with FIFA. They had requested FIFA to hold an inquiry into the reports on ostensible human rights violations.

Zakharova said, "The relevant governmental agencies exercise strict control over the issues of migration and that's why there are competent people to watch over the guest workers' rights in Russia."

She urged Western activists "to turn their eyes to other well-known countries where the operating conditions for immigrant workers really leave much to be desired".

"Regrettably, this this fervent attention towards rights is highly selective and it has turned into an instrument of political contentions," Zakharova said.