November, 9th 2008
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From 20 October to 24 October Chairman of the ChRI Cabinet of Ministers Akhmed Zakaev completed a series of working visits to a number of European countries. In Paris Akhmed Zakaev met with the famous Western philosopher and political analyst Andre Glucksmann who is also well known as a long-standing and devoted supporter of the Chechen independence. The meeting was dedicated to the discussion of the political and legal consequences of the recent Russian-Georgian war. In addition Akhmed Zakaev and Andre Glucksmann discussed a series of measures aimed at overcoming the difficulties which arose in conjunction with the further implementation of A.Glucksmann’s project ‘Learning Without Borders’ within the framework of which Chechen young men and women are given an opportunity to study in the most prestigious universities of France.
Strasbourg was the next port of call for the Head of the Chechen Government where he held a meeting with the Chair of the Human Rights Committee of the European Parliament Helen Flautre. To promote joint work in the future Akhmed Zakaev introduced a distinguished Chechen human rights activist Sajd-Emin Ibragimov who has been dealing with the legal aspects of the Russian aggression against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeriya and with the war crimes committed by the Kremlin regime against the Chechen people. The ‘Russia-European Union’ Summit is scheduled to be held in Europe in November this year and it will include, among other events, a Human Rights Conference. It was agreed with Helen Flautre that the issue of the situation in Chechnya be included in the conference’s agenda.
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In Strasbourg Akhmed Zakaev also met with the Chairman of the ChRI Parliament Zhalaudi Saralyapov. During the meeting the Chechen Prime Minister reported to the Head of State about the work of his Cabinet of Ministers and unveiled the plan of work for the nearest future. The meeting discussed political and legal implications of the Russian-Georgian war for the situation in Chechnya and the rest of the North Caucasus, and in particular the consequences of Russia’s recognition of the state independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In addition Akhmed Zakaev and Zhalaudi Saralyapov discussed the staffing and human resources issue at the meeting.
After Strasbourg Akhmed Zakaev went to Warsaw to meet the Deputy-President and Chairman of the Human Rights and Rule of Law Commission of the Polish Senate Zbigniew Romaszewski and the Deputy-President of the Polish Seim Stefan Niesiolowski. The questions discussed included the areas of activity and the results of the work of the Vilnius Law Commission which is studying the issue of the Chechen statehood restored in 1991 and its correspondence to the norms of international law and USSR’s national legislation. Akhmed Zakaev informed the Polish politicians about the Chechen Government’s plans to hold an international conference devoted to this issue and requested that such a conference be held in Poland.
The Warsaw meetings also discussed the possibility of the Chechen issue becoming an effective tool in the European Unions’ arsenal to curb Russia’s aggressive policies. The Chechen Prime Minister and Polish politicians were unanimous in their understanding that the universal right of nations to self determination , which has been realised in Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia cannot be selective by nature. The Chechen Republic of Ichkeriya has similar legal, political and moral rights for its independence to be recognised. In view of Poland’s critical and intransigent reaction to Russia’s annexation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Akhmed Zakaev suggested that to counter Russia’s unfounded accusations of the Georgians’ genocide against Ossetians, Poland and Georgia should provide Chechen and international human rights activists with a platform for publicising the facts of a real genocide committed by Russia against the Chechen people.
