Head of Ingushetia points to positive results of refugees' return to Chechnya

President of the Republic of Ingushetia, the North Caucasus, Murat Zyazikov has welcomed the positive results of the return of refugees and displaced persons to Chechnya.

He told journalists as much on Wednesday after his meeting with President Vladimir Putin's plenipotentiary in the Southern federal district Viktor Kazantsev in Yessentuki, the North Caucasus, the plenipotentiary's press secretary Arkady Murzayev told RIA Novosti.

Last year the republic had about 200,000 refugees from Chechnya, but now their number does not exceed 60,000, Zyazikov said. Moreover, the returning process is still underway.

Summing up the results of his one-year work as the republic's president, Zyazikov pointed out that 3,000 dwelling houses had been built during that period. Also, the republic started to fulfil the project of constructing an oil refinery. The construction is being carried out within the framework of the federal target programme "Southern Russia", the Ingush president explained.

He also pointed to the positive development of co-operation with the neighbouring republic of Ossetia. Thus, the traffic stream between the two republics has grown by 8-10 times. The republics' clergy, party activists, youth and businessmen hold regular meetings.