Evkurov is ready to continue his dialogue with the opposition

President of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Evkurov has stated that that he feels easy with the opposition and called oppositionists to work hardy towards creating new jobs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that some time after Mr Evkurov was appointed President, activists of the broad public agreed that he managed to somewhat consolidate the society and start dialogue with the opposition, which was a complete failure of the previous republic's leader - Murat Zyazikov. On October 30, Musa Pliev, one of leaders of the opposition to Zyazikov, whom Evkurov had appointed his assistant, decided to quit the position. He explained that during Yunus-Bek Evkurov's year in power nothing had changed in the republic.

"I feel quite easy with the so-called 'opposition' and public organizations. I ask them: would you like to work for the people's benefit with the aim to stabilize the situation? If yes - let's work!" President of Ingushetia said in his interview to the "Rossiskaya Gazeta".

However sometimes, as Mr Evkurov says, he sees "that people wouldn't like working; their task is different - exposing themselves all the time; and they oftener lie than tell the truth."

He has added that once a month he holds a meeting with NGO activists and the oppositions. "I know, how much money they get and from where. How much - and from whom. I'm happy that they receive money. I tell them: guys, just get even more! Your money means new jobs."

Speaking about the topic of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Mr Evkurov has noted that he does not believe that recognition of these republics as independent can catalyze separatist aspirations in Ingushetia, as "neither Abkhazia nor South Ossetia had never voluntarily joined Georgia; while here, in Ingushetia, it was a free will of people, and Ingushes were among the first to join Russia."

He is also sure that the merge of Chechnya and Ingushetia is impossible - "people would not agree - either in Ingushetia or in Chechnya."

At the same time, he is confident that dialogue of nations is necessary for finding way out of various crisis situations.

The President has emphasized the importance of addressing the issue of refugees' comeback - the victims of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict.

However, prior to return of displaced persons, Mr President asserts, a dialogue should be launched by young people of the two republics.

When in 1991 the conflict burst out, said the Ingush leader, 70,000 refugees from the Prigorodny District came to Ingushetia, while the total population of the republic was 340,000.

In his opinion, the decision to let refugees to Ingushetia was a mistake: "They ask me: what should I have done, if I'd been the then leader? I frankly say: even if someone finds is unpleasant, I wouldn't have let the refugees in. I'd have helped brothers on that side: by sending food and otherwise. Among other things, the refugees at once gave a two-threefold growth of criminality. New crimes appeared, which had never earlier been present in Ingushetia," said the President, having named prostitution, drug dealing and street banditism.