Alexander Khloponin: there is no more inter-confessional and interethnic discord in the Caucasus

On September 28, Alexander Khloponin, Plenipotentiary of Russian President in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD), said, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of President of Kabardino-Balkaria Arsen Kanokov, that the Caucasus is no longer the area of inter-confessional and interethnic conflicts, but is becoming a united and economically prosperous region.

According to Mr Khloponin, the region's authorities have no right to tell people how prosperous they will be in 10-20 years. Socio-economic problems should be addressed today; and the team is changed for this purpose. The Plenipotentiary expressed his satisfaction that Arsen Kanokov is again in this team.

Alexander Khloponin also noted in his speech that the presence at the ceremony of Presidents - Sergey Bagapsh of Abkhazia and Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia - is an evidence of the fact that the Caucasus had ceased to be a fragmented territory.

Anas Pshikhachev, Chairman of the Spiritual Department of Moslems of Kabardino-Balkaria, thanked Arsen Kanokov for building "a number of mosques" in the republic and for the idea to create a major university centre in Nalchik; he wished him Allah's help in fighting against ethnic separatism and religious extremism.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the candidacy Arsen Kanokov, brought in by President Dmitry Medvedev, was supported by deputies of the supreme legislative body of the republic, who voted for Mr Kanokov's second term as the head of the republic at the extraordinary session on September 1, 2010.