Lord Judd: Despite Definite Positive Steps, Situation in Chechnya Remains Extremely Tense

'Despite definite positive steps, the situation in Chechnya remains extremely tense,' said Lord Judd, the co-chairman of the joint working group Duma PASE, on Echo Moscow radio. He noted that since 2000 the situation in Chechnya has significantly improved. Farming is beginning again in the country, although the humanitarian situation 'is still unacceptable for a European city in the twenty-first century'. 'This is a challenge for all us Europeans,' he added. Lord Judd believes that the housing situation remains tense and that there are still problems regarding the supply of food to the people of Chechnya.

Speaking about the return of refugees to the republic, Lord Judd noted that, on the whole, people return of their own will and, once they are home, do not want to return to the camps. In connection with this, he said that people complain about the difficulty of normalizing life in Grozny. Lord Judd underlined the need for the Duma to pass a law governing the provision of financial help to the people of Chechnya in restoring their homes.