Analysts welcome idea of holding talks on Ingush-Chechen border

Any negotiations on the disputed territories on the Ingush-Chechen border are better than confrontation, said the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" in their comments on the prepared meeting of leaders of "Mekhk-Khel" with Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 25, the Ingush movement "Mekhk-Khel" posted an appeal to the Speaker, Magomed Daudov, with a proposal to meet and evaluate the arguments that the Ingush and Chechen parties are putting forward regarding disputed territories. Mr Daudov responded to the appeal on April 26, suggesting holding a meeting in Pyatigorsk.

Ruslan Kutaev, President of the Assembly of the Caucasian Nations, has welcomed the initiative to hold a meeting of "Mekhk-Khel" elders with Speaker Magomed Daudov.

"In any case, the fact that they've agreed to meet and discuss the border issues is good. I think Daudov will convey to his interlocutors that the border issue is outside the competence of either Chechen or Ingush authorities. In general, there is no doubt that this discussion should be welcomed. Any meeting is better than any confrontation," Mr Kutaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on April 27.

Timur Akiev, the head of the Ingush regional branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial"*, believes that a possible discussion of the border issue with Daudov is a positive phenomenon.

In his opinion, if there is a chance to have a dialogue, we should take advantage of it. "Despite the fact that the federal centre has already closed the border issue, at least the Ingush public periodically returns to it. And, obviously, these signals reach the Chechen leadership. It's good that they react in this way, invite to dialogue and don't completely ignore the opinion of the Ingush party," Mr Akiev asserts.

* The organization is included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in the “Register of non-profit organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent”.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 28, 2021 at 02:11 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.