By Musa Musaev, exclusively to VK
In early February representatives of the border villages of Khakh-Uba and Uryan-Uba, that found themselves on Azerbaijani territory after the delimitation of state borders, met with Dagestani authorities in Makhachkala and discussed issues of re-settlement.
According to the activists, the problem of the two villages is being used by anti-Putin forces as an argument in their favor. The villagers who came to Makhachkala urged their compatriots not to address political and historical issues and leave them to competent specialists. The villagers’ involvement in political games would serve only the interests of a third party. The activists condemned the open letter of the villagers to Vladimir Putin filled with accusations. For example, it states that Putin gave the villages to ‘the Azerbaijani feudal regime’ like they were his ‘dominions’. However, according to the activists, the villagers didn’t write the letter together; it is the private opinion of only a few of them.
As the Dagestani Minister of Economy stated, land for construction of homes for resettlement has already been allocated and a plan of construction is ready. The Minister assured that the issue should be finally resolved this year. At the moment there are 395 people cleared by Russian and Azerbaijani migration services for resettlement.
However, there is still a number of problems that cause discontent among the villagers: according to them, the migration services are too slow in checking the lists, etc., while the Dagestani Minister for National Affairs makes unfounded claims about the situation being under control. «We are being deprived of our homes, of our jobs, our children can’t go to school, and in these conditions such claims cause us to be concerned,” the villagers say. One of the activists even demanded the Minister to be removed from the Dagestani Committee for the ‘villages’ problem’ as he is ‘acting against our best interests’.
Another aspect of the problem is where the residents of the two villages will vote at the upcoming elections. And of course the villagers would support Putin if only they would really get what they were promised – new land.
