Working group of Russia's Public Chamber: situation in Dagestan is close to critical

Recent events in Dagestan show that the situation in the republic is getting out of control, runs the official statement of the working group of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation for development of public dialogue and institutes of civil society in the Caucasus, passed on September 6.

"On Saturday, September 4, in Makhachkala, an attempt was committed on Bekmurza Bekmurzaev, local minister on national policy, religious matters and external relations. It was the third attempt on the persons holding this post in the Republic of Dagestan. Two Bekmurzaev's predecessors perished in terror acts: in August 2003 - Magomed Salikh Gusaev, and in May 2005 - Zagir Arukhov," the members of working group ascertain.

In their opinion, "the ethno-political clans and their helpers from among bandits, covering their crimes with religious slogans, who are struggling for dominance in power structures of different levels (from local up to republic's ones) destroy in the republic the very opportunity of understanding and formation of national policy."

"It's not by occasion that killers and terrorists render blow after blow on this ministry and its leaders. The ministry on national policy, religious matters and external relations is the coordinator of the national, confessional and information policy in the republic and in many respects ensures the interethnic and inter-confessional dialogue," says the statement, signed by thirteen members of the Public Chamber.

Having expressed condolences to victims' families, the working group states that "without state support rendered to both state-owned and public institutes, analysis of the development and implementation of national policy, it is impossible to build any more or less efficient mechanisms for modernization and social development, be it in the Caucasus or as a whole in the Russian Federation."