In Dagestan, enclave residents hold rally demanding from authorities to defend their interests

On February 8, Makhachkala hosted a rally of residents of the village of Khrakh-Uba (Khrakhoba), which is part of the village soviet Novoaulskiy, Magaramkent District of Dagestan, but is located inside the Khachmaz District of Azerbaijan. The protesters - about 300 persons - demanded to protect villagers' rights.

Eduard Khidirov, head of the regional branch of the Party "Patriots of Russia" and of the cognominal faction in the parliament of Dagestan, who originates from Khrakh-Uba village, and Bekmurza Bekmurzaev, Minister for National Policy, Religion Matters and External Relations of Dagestan, were among the participants of the rally, as well as journalists of local and national mass media.

The protesters carried banners with slogans: "Khrakh-Uba is the territory of Russia", "No to deportation and separation of families", "Protect our rights" and "Yes to Russia, no to Azerbaijan". Speakers performed in similar tonality. Eduard Khidirov said that residents of Khrakh-Uba today protect the interests of Russia and Dagestan.

The Minister for National Policy, Religion Matters and External Relations of Dagestan said that process should go within the bounds of the law and existing bilateral agreements between Russia and Azerbaijan. "The leadership of Russia and Dagestan are in touch with what's going on in Khrakh-Uba. We should be patient and not to yield to provocations, in order to solve everything under the law," said Bekmurza Bekmurzaev.

"We live in our homeland, but politicians gave our lands to Azerbaijan; now they want to make us refugees. Local bureaucrats demand us in the first place to give up Russian citizenship. Recently, the village was visited by Elman Aliev, head of the State Migration Service of Azerbaijan, who stated, having learnt about the scheduled rally, that none of the protesters in Makhachkala would be let back home," Alaverdi Mamedov, a villager, said in his speech.

The rally ended with adoption of a final resolution, which reads that "the villagers of Khrakh-Uba, Magaramkent District, while living in their historical homeland, found themselves, in the time of perestroika and as a result of political games, within the Khachmaz District of Azerbaijan."

"Family members, relatives, friends and countrymen found themselves on different sides of the border. We are Russians; we have Russian citizenship and Russian passports, but since recently visiting our great homeland is a big problem. The Azerbaijani party by all means prevents our trips to Russia; local and central Azeri authorities demand from residents of Khrakh-Uba to give up Russian citizenship," runs the resolution.

The document ends with a request to the Governments of Russia and Dagestan: to ensure protection of constitutional rights of the citizens of the enclave; to assist in termination of repressions and deportation of inhabitants of the enclave, and in reunion of families; to give a chance to villagers to live where they want; to decide on a simplified and unimpeded passage across the Russian-Azerbaijani border; to conclude a special agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan, which defines the status of the enclave, and rights and duties of residents of Khrakh-Uba; to recognize the territory of Khrakh-Uba with adjacent lands as Russian enclaves, and if impossible, to make an equal land exchange for the territory of Dagestan.

Let us remind you that Alaverdi Mamedov was the first to inform the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the upcoming rally. He asserted that certain residents of Khrakh-Uba have to live for months in the Russian customs on the border because of the position of the Azerbaijani authorities. According to Mamedov, his fellow villagers receive no help from the authorities of Dagestan; they are under threat of deportation.

Earlier, Bekmurza Bekmurzaev, Minister for National Policy, Religion Matters and External Relations of Dagestan, said that in his opinion protests actions would not yield fruit. "There are generally accepted international regulations, which we are bound to respect. There are two alternatives: either enclave residents take Azerbaijani citizenship, or they accept double citizenship; however, they reject both variants and demand compact relocation and settlement in the territory of Dagestan; but we have no free land and resources," said Bekmurzaev.