VK round-table discussion on reaction to Moscow nationalistic riots in Chechnya
Chechens perceived the events of December 11 as the result of multiple unresolved problems. The head of the Republic, Ramasan Kadyrov, noted that every country could be strangled by inter-ethnic conflicts. Non-governmental organizations signed a memorandum on common actions against extremism, violence and inter-ethnic discord in the Caucasus. Many experts consider that inter-ethnic conflicts emerge, for the most part, from common everyday life.Experts share their thoughts on recent events with VK Zelimkhan Musaev, Vice-Minister for External Affairs, National Politics and Media of Chechen Republic: "Slogans like "Russia only for Russians" do not do any credit to anyone and put the very foundations of our state in danger. It’s not nuclear power or an efficient army that makes our country really great, you know. It’s the friendship and brotherhood between our peoples. Now we should prove that our state firmly stands on legal foundations and punishes all hooligans and delinquents, or else a chain reaction of xenophobic outbursts will be triggered. I think that more frequent meetings between officials and young people of different ethnicities might help here. Young people from central Russia should come and see how we live here, in the Caucasus. We should also elaborate a sort of behavioural code for young people, like the one that existed in the USSR. If there’s no moral behind a law, it won’t be obeyed, so I suggest issues of morality and ideology be taken under serious governmental supervision via the internet, the media and education."
Sultan Tagayev, historian, political expert: "I liked Soviet Union as a state because of the friendship its peoples showed towards each other. False ‘patriots’ ruined this state and are now turning on the Russian Federation. In fact, we have all the means to control the situation, so the behaviour of the Moscow police is really surprising. They knew that young people were gathering on Manezhnaya Square but didn’t try to stop them. The events that followed are even more regrettable, as they are likely to cause similar outbursts in the near future."
Ibragim Dzubayrayev, the head of the Analytical Department of the Chechen Republic's Ombudsman Department: "Recent events are the results of several serious ethnic policy issues that stayed unresolved in our country for decades. So now it is time to tackle them. A Ministry of Ethnic Policy should be created, as our multi-ethnic country cannot exist without it. At the moment, the policy of Russian unification is just playing into the hands of destructive forces.Legal and civil disciplines should be promoted among young people to counteract malevolent ideas. One should remember that one has obligations as well as rights. And each and every person, no matter what his ethnicity, should feel himself to be a rightful citizen of his own country."
Haron Makhamshaev, lawyer: "I’ll present you some data that clearly indicates the necessity for urgent measures. Over 300 youth organizations of extremist orientation are registered today in Russia. More than 400 people have been hurt by young extremists in recent times, more than 40 of whom died. One of 10 conflicts among pupils in our schools is based on ethnic grounds (the indicator is even higher in Moscow and St. Petersburg). The treatment of this disease will take a long time and we need a special governmental programme for that. In particular, strict measures are to be taken in schools and police bodies to punish any racist utterances. The only chance of succeeding here is to implement non-stop measures under the control of a special commission".Hamzat Umkhaev, public activist, journalist: "This conflict can be profitable to anyone except Russia. It seems that the extremists adopted a principle ‘the worst is the best’. And a ‘colour revolution’ scenario is not so impossible for us, and someone is trying to prepare young people for it. And the so-called liberal-democrats destabilize the situation alongside the nationalists. Perhaps young people are being prepared to exercise force during the upcoming elections. And inter-ethnic relations are the weakest part of Russia's statehood, so it is being attacked first. I think that certain media agencies and internet sites are to be held responsible for provocations and that educational work among young people should be carried out more efficiently.Timur Utsaev, Grozny, exclusively to VK
