Vladimir Putin meets youth of North-Caucasus Federal District

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has met youth of the North
Caucasus Federal District, who supported his idea to establish the
National People's Front and had talked about their problems.

President of the Federal Lezgin National-Cultural Autonomy, Arif
Kerimov, attended the meeting. He reminded those present that Stalin
set a border on River Samur in 1921, putting part of Lezgin in
Azerbaijan and part for the Gorskaya Republic (Dagestan). The
situation changed in 1991 and the Lezgin people lost their status. The
OSCE believes that they are part of Azerbaijan, which is about 700,000
people, or 1.1 million according to other data.

Some of the most radical Lezgins talk about the so-called "Lezgin
Albania", fight against Iranian and Arab conquerors, defense against
Seljuks, tyranny of the tsar's functionaries, soviet colonization,
discrimination from Azerbaijan and poor policy of Dagestan.

Some believe that the territorial separation after the revolution in
1917 violated ethnic realities. The national Lezgin movement Sadval
was organized with demand for own Lezgin Republic, or Lezginstan.
There are rumours that Dzhokhar Dudayev wanted to provoke Lezgins for
the war in the Caucasus.

Analogies may be pointed out with demands of Adygs for own republic,
the Great Cherkessia consisting of the Krasnodar Territory, Adygeya,
half of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabrdino-Balkaria and a part of the
Stavropol Territory. The question is about their loyalty to Moscow.
Some radical Adygs want to cooperate with Georgia, that recognized
genocide of Cherkessians, some speak out against the Olympic Games in
Sochi.

Lezgins promise loyalty to Moscow. Arif Kerimov insists that Lezgins
are a reliable partner. Moscow fears that certain forces in
Azerbaijan, Russia and Dagestan may use it to augment major
interethnic tensions.

Yekaterina Tesemnikova. Exclusively for VK.