Elections in Chechnya is the major political event of the near future

The upcoming presidential elections in Chechnya is a serious step toward a political settlement of the situation in the republic, stated RF Nationalities Minister Vladimir Zorin during a press conference in Moscow on Wednesday.

"Perhaps, it is the most important political event of the near future, and its significance is not confined to a particular time period or a framework of the present elections. It is a serious step toward the integration of the Chechen society into the process of the settlement of the situation in the Chechen Republic," said Mr. Zorin.

The minister believes that some international and human rights organizations continue to pursue "incorrect policies" they opted to conduct during the referendum on the new constitution of the Chechen Republic. According to Mr. Zorin, initially, these organizations denounced the events in Chechnya referring to "some obscure reasons," and then "under the public pressure tried to ignore those events." "It is an erroneous approach. It certainly does not serve the purpose of increasing the popularity of these organizations in Russia, especially in the Caucasus region and in the Chechen Republic," said Mr. Zorin.

"If the international organizations, like the PACE and others, are really interested in the settlement of the situation in the region, their attempt to ignore this process altogether is not the best solution," the minister believes.