Analysts argue about initiators of reception of Palestinians in Dagestan and Chechnya

The reception of migrants from Palestine was organized in Dagestan and Chechnya on the initiative of the federal authorities, note Caucasian experts Akhmet Yarlykapov and Ruslan Kutaev. The decision to accept a small number of Palestinians was made by the authorities of the republic, since it is beneficial to their image and will not hit the budget, objects political analyst Sergey Zhavoronkov.

The second group of migrants from Palestine, consisting of 116 people, has arrived in Chechnya. It is decided to accommodate them, like the first group, at a health camp in the village of Avtury.

Chechnya is preparing to receive 250 refugees from Palestine. The authorities of Dagestan have announced that the republic is ready to accept up to 200 refugees.

The arrival of refugees in Dagestan and Chechnya was organized at the initiative of the Russia’s authorities, believes Akhmet Yarlykapov, Senior Researcher at the Centre for Caucasus Issues and Regional Security at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations (known as MGIMO) under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). “The question arose of where to send the refugees from Palestine so that there would be the least disturbance. It was decided to send them to Chechnya and Dagestan,” said the expert.

Accepting 250 refugees in Chechnya and 200 in Dagestan is a serious contribution to helping the Palestinians, suggests Akhmet Yarlykapov, since all refugees should be provided with housing, treated, and helped in adaptation.

Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, also considers the reception of Palestinian refugees in Chechnya and Dagestan to be an initiative of the Kremlin. The expert notes that the number of the arrived refugees includes Russian citizens and people with family ties to Russian citizens.

According to the Caucasian expert, it is possible that given the attention of the authorities of Chechnya and Dagestan to accepting refugees, their number in the regions will increase. “Naturally, many Palestinians will want to be accepted in the Muslim regions of Russia. Thus, other regions may be involved in accepting refugees,” suggested the expert.

On the contrary, political analyst Sergey Zhavoronkov considers the reception of migrants from Palestine an initiative of the Chechen and Dagestani authorities. “The figure of arrived refugees is actually very small … This is a drop in the ocean... It is a local initiative, more related to PR steps,” noted the political analyst.

For the budgets of Chechnya and Dagestan, the arrival of Palestinian refugees is a minor burden, Sergey Zhavoronkov adds.