After meeting Mayor, wedding saloon owners in Grozny fear bankruptcy

Owners of the wedding saloons in the capital of Chechnya were imperatively advised, at a meeting at the city Mayoralty, to stop selling wedding dresses, made not in the traditional Chechen style. The city authorities assure that this measure is of only "recommendatory character." However, the shop owners talk about "demand" and "prohibition" and are afraid of going bankrupt.

According to saloon owners, Muslim Khuchiev, head of the administration of Grozny, on September 2, invited the owners of 22 wedding saloons to the Mayoralty and ordered them to stop selling European-style wedding dresses.

"We were all shocked by this demand," one of the owners told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "But nobody tried to explain and object. Firstly, it's senseless, since it's quite clear that Khuchiev's position was coordinated with the republic's leadership, and, secondly, it would look as if we oppose our national rites and traditions."

"Now, we don't know what to do with the articles already brought to the republic. What to do with all these dresses; and what to do in future at all?" the owner shared his emotions.

Meanwhile, Ilyas Matsiev, head of the press service of the administration of Grozny, has assured that the measures in relation to the owners of the saloons selling wedding dresses, were of only "recommendatory character".