Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Chechen Republic, Akhmed Zakayev gave an interview for "Chechenpress" to Ruslan Rulamaliyev.

R.R.: - Assalam Aleykum, Akhmed, our citizens are interested in the PACE meeting devoted to the situation in the North Caucasus. As we know, our delegation headed by you has been invited to the meeting. For a start I would like to know who the participants of our delegation were and how it happened that you were invited to these hearings.

A.Z.: - VaAleykum Assalam, Ruslan! The situation was developing as follows. Three weeks prior to the meeting we were informed about it by the PACE members, and further we were actively assisting them. There are many representatives in PACE, who we successfully worked with and thanks to them lots of our proposals for the resolution adopted at this meeting were heard and taken into account. Our delegation included the head of the Department of Sport Ruslan Takhayev and MP of ChRI Hussein Iskhanov.

R.R.: - How can you comment on the head of the Russian delegation, Konstantin Kosachev’s charges?

A.Z.: - Yes, I was told his words, and I read as well that I supposedly had broken into the PACE building with false documents or under makeup… This is, of course, the delirium what talks about impotence of his words against the right of the law, operating in Europe through the European nations’ efforts. Russian politicians do not understand what the decline they brought their state onto. In the PACE backroom, I had an informal meeting with a member of the Russian delegation, I do not mention his name. I and we had an interesting talk indeed. The Russian side has an understanding that because of the Russian mediocre politicians they almost lost not only Chechnya, but all the North Caucasus, that sooner or later Russia will have to withdraw from the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. When I mentioned England and rejection of its imperial policy, he agreed with me and said that Russia should abandon the old and obsolete political methods and find the power and courage to follow a sensible, pragmatic, peaceful policy, cease to be afraid of shadows of the past and live as free people do and let live to others. And the desire expressed by this politician was that we would part with not as enemies would do. I replied that, yes, there had been many mistakes, but there would be always a chance to create all the conditions for our peoples living in peace and our states thriving. For having them, the Russian leadership must recognize and draw conclusions from what happened, and repent of their deeds. We have, of course, the past, bloody and terrible, with wars and tragedies. But I believe that despite our past our present and a better future for our children in our hands. And it depends only on us. My opponent from the Russian delegation agreed with me.

R.R.: - Have you met representatives of the Russian opposition in PACE?

A.Z.: - Yes, I had a talk with Boris Nemtsov. He gifted me and all the members of our delegation his report about outcomes of the Putin’s regime in Russia (hyperlink). Boris is well aware of what happens in Russia and the Caucasus today and what happened before. And he believes that this situation is temporary, that this “nightmare” once must end, that Russia will endure it and will have a hard way out of the swamp produced by the Russian regime. After all, today the North Caucasus, Georgia, an obvious conflict with Moldova, the conflict with Ukraine, the ongoing conflict with Belarus are all of them is the post-Soviet space, where Russia has always been in a good position, but good neighbors have become implacable enemies because of the shortsighted policies of the current leaders of Russia. This set of problems is left for the new generation of dissenters with the colonial policy of the present leadership of Russia. Today, this conception is presented by Boris Nemtsov and other politicians who are actually anxious and try to defend the strategic interests of Russia. The difference between the Russian opposition and the ruling Putin’s regime is that Putin is satisfied with tactical victories, sustaining strategic defeats. The representatives of the Russian opposition are much more responsible for the realities and the future of their country than the Russian leadership.

R.R.: - Has Yevkurov tried to communicate with you?

A.Z.: - We had no meeting, but he only met our delegation members. He has a complicated situation; he must be responsible for the situation and the consequences that were not created by him. He had to response and went blush in front of the PACE deputies. In this sense, the Russian leadership treats him inconsiderately. He is dependent, as they say; anyone of us chooses our own way for life and anyone of us will hold personal responsibility to our people and Creator. In my opinion, he and the other appointees in the NC are given an unenviable role.

R.R.: - You had a planned meeting with the Georgian delegation, how has it gone?

A.Z.: - Yes, I should note that this meeting was very productive and held in a friendly atmosphere. The Georgian side was represented by David Darchishvili, the chairman of the Committee of European Integration, and members of the Georgian delegation.

R.R.: - In the 23rd of June, there was also a meeting against the genocide of the Chechen people in Strasbourg, and you participated it.

A.Z.: - Yes, this meeting shows Europe that the Russian TV image of the occupied ChRI is just propaganda. I managed to communicate with many participants of this rally, who came not only from the different countries of the European Union, but also from the occupied ChRI. Our country, however, was mostly presented by the people who testified upon a trial and in PACE to the Russian occupants’ crimes. We must pay a tribute to those courageous people who protect their relatives’ (that is our citizens, citizens of ChRI) rights and freedom in the European courts, and every time return to the ChRI, where hostilities are still held and Russia occupation troops are still there. Both at the rally and in a private talk they told me that they personally, and the people were not broken. The only thing that worries them is the Russian propaganda, what day and night brainwashes citizens of ChRI, trying to suppress our national identity and to dictate an alien lifestyle to the Chechen people. Imposing and cultivating informers, bribery, servility to superiors, and promoting the dissolute lifestyle, the Russian propaganda presents the Chechen traditions and peculiarities of mentality as an outlived and unnecessary burden.

ChechenCenter.info