The head of Dagestan, Ramazan Adbulatipov, spoke in the studio of Vestnik Kavkaza about the cooperation between Dagestan and Azerbaijan. The head of the republic said that Azerbaijan is involved in the project for the preparation of the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Derbent and the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
- How does Dagestan develop economic and cultural ties with neighboring subjects of the Russian Federation and the countries of the South Caucasus?
- We are historically connected with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is a thriving republic. However, there are no serious projects. We talked about this with President Ilham Aliyev. In fact, we have contributed to the signing of an agreement between Russia and Azerbaijan on the construction of a checkpoint on the southern border, near Dagestan.
Therefore, today Azerbaijan is participating in the project for the preparation of the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Derbent. We are planning to hold the Russian-Azerbaijani Symposium on Culture and Education in the summer. That is, there are some improvements.
We have similar plans with Ingushetia and Chechnya, Stavropol Territory. Now Vladimir Vladimirov is building a new road, cutting the route between Makhachkala and Stavropol by 60 km. Such projects exist. There are possibilities, but the state should be oriented towards such activities, the plenipotentiary envoy Sergey Alimovich Melikov understands this. We all gathered in Makhachkala recently, from January 13-14, and we made a joint statement of the leaders of the North Caucasus.
- Please tell us about the preparations for the celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Derbent.
- Firstly, there is a presidential decree. Secondly, the president instructed to extend the celebratory events to take place until 2018. Therefore, we will not finish with them this year, because there is still much to be done. There are good projects. We are now cleaning up 13 streets. Two weeks on Saturday I was in Derbent, I looked at all the historical sites, all the historical monuments, starting with cemeteries and ending with bathhouses. They are all unique. There are bathhouses for men and women from the 5th, 6th, 12th, 17th centuries. They can be renovated now and they should be. It is necessary that historical monuments fulfill the functions they were created to fulfill. There is also the unique Caucasian, or Macedonian, or Caspian, or Derbent Wall, which, according to various sources, stretched for 30 to 80 km in the mountains, to one hundred meters from the coast. It is a unique monument. Archaeologists found an original building from adobe bricks. Anushirwan, a Persian king, was the one to initiate its construction in its present form. Moreover, it was built mainly by craftsmen from Dagestan and Azerbaijan, we should bear this in mind. In addition, it was the largest city in the Caucasus at the time. And it was the largest market center in the Caucasus.
We are now planning to held the International Caspian Forum in the next year, because very few people study the Caspian Sea. Even on a political level, we are stalling on determining the borders at the bottom of the Caspian Sea. So far, we have not reached an agreement. Therefore, my appeal is to emerge from the sea on the surface and work together, because more than 500 million people live on the Caspian Sea. The gross producc around the Caspian Sea is about $7 trillion. This has to operate well. In 1995 I held the Caspian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. People came there, but it wasn't supported. And now we are returning to this idea. I think there will be a lot of support on the part of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. I am sure that the Russian leadership will support these measures, Astrakhan will get involved.
- Last year in September a summit of the Caspian states was held.
- I was at the summit. It was a meeting of the heads of state, governors were invited to the gala banquet, but there were almost no activities on cooperation between the regions of the Caspian states. The meeting was held at a high level, politics should be handled by heads of state. We need to bring in content, to the Caspian summit as well.
- Our country is preparing for the 70th anniversary of the victory. What does this date mean for Dagestan?
- Dagestan historically is generally considered a country of warriors. And not only Dagestan, but also the entire Caucasus as well. Therefore, the question of protection of the Fatherland is in the blood of the Dagestanis. That is why, the first who volunteered in the early days were thousands of Dagestanis. Not only Dagestani men, but women as well, who went to war.
Women who announced a fundraiser to build a tank division, and so on. In particular, you know, Dagestani brides have silver costumes, which weigh 10 kg. These ancient costumes, which were in the trunks of many Dagestani women, were dragged out by them and everything was given in order to create the Shamil tank column.
My father was actually in the armory, as one of the leaders of the district he could not participate as he was a young man, he had served in the army before. There are pictures of the first three men who left, and among them my father, too. He was a defender of Sebastopol, wounded twice, in fact he had only served about a year, then he returned and continued to work. Also, I remember when my father came back, he said then "when I came to the village, I was wondering why everyone had green eyes." It turns out that there was nothing to eat, and people had been eating only grass, sprinkled with a little amount of oatmeal on top.
But at the same time, father said, "we have no right to say that we were not particularly involved in World War II. Because I saw the occupied territories, saw the suffering of wives and children. Our wives and children, even eating grass, were far inside the home front." Those who were under occupation really participated in the war. And these abuses, insults, these are the things which were felt in Belarus, and in Ukraine, despite the bunch of traitors who are praised today.
- After the territories of Dagestan and Chechnya were merged to the Russian Empire, the Avars were included into the guard of the Emperor. They were one of the most faithful soldiers.
- Of course! The Avars served as the Emperor’s convoy. It was the highest level of trust. I strictly oppose historical revenge – “we used to fight you in some century long ago, let’s continue the war.” The war is over. Imam Shamil once said: “Don’t fight Russia ever, as it is a great power. Be friends with it. I am grateful to the Tsar for his respectful attitude toward me.”
- And many generations of the Dagestanis and the Caucasus people followed the precept…
- Yes, of course. If an enemy comes to your country, you should have courage to resists. Moreover, you should have courage to find close friends in former enemies after the end of a war. For the Dagestanis, especially for my generation, we had an image that Russian people are saints. That was because far into the mountains Russian teachers were coming to our villages, who taught us better than our brothers-sisters taught their nephews. Therefore, we saw the Great Patriotic War as a war against the Soviet people. And, of course, the main role in this war was played by the Russians, it was also clear to everyone.
But Mohammed Abdulmalapov was in Crimea when his six Russian friends were shot, and he was told "You're a stranger - you're Caucasian, Muslim, why do you need them? Give up on them, and you will survive." He spat in the face of the fascist and was killed along with his brother-Russians. This is not just words, this is a feat. And we should be ashamed today to overthrow each other, because our fathers and grandfathers shed and mixed their blood. My father was wounded on the battlefield, his legs were broken. He says: "If the senior lieutenant Volodya (unfortunately, he does not know anything else about him), had not pulled me out of the field, after 30 minutes the fascists came to this place, and I would not have survived. He dragged me to the cart and put me into that cart.” " And he said: "When I started to moan, I saw a woman with an even more severe wound on the next cart, which started to calm me down, and I was ashamed." That's what the Russian people, the Russian warrior does.
That is why, for us it is not just that easy to lay flowers at the eternal flame. This is our culture. The victory is our ideology. That is why I was one of those who deployed, when being a rector here in Moscow, the Parade of Heirs of the Victory. I told to each student: "Write on the board the name of your grandfather, grandmother, who fought, and let's go out on May 9 to participate in the Parade of Heirs, our ranks must not thin out, our number, on the contrary, must grow." Today, this parade is taking place in Dagestan and other regions as well.
