Press conference by C.R.I. President Aslan Maskhadov

President of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov, held a meeting with Chechen and foreign journalists in early November and answered a number of questions.

Touching on the reasons for the second Russian-Chechen war, President said that the main reason was uncertainty in relations between the Russian Federation and Chechen Republic of Ichkeria:

«If the then Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was brave enough to sign a comprehensive peace accord during our second meeting in the Kremlin in 1997, this war would not have begun. Let me assure you of that. In other words, the centuries-old confrontation between Russia and Chechnya could have been stopped at that point».

It is the lack of such an agreement that provokes military and political conflicts between the Russian Federation and Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the Chechen President said.

«We are saying that Russia is a foreign state and what's more, it is a hostile state. Russia says that Chechnya is a constituent part of the Russian Federation, which we have been flatly denying. Everything else is a tragic consequence, not the reason for this legal uncertainty».

As for the circumstances in which Putin and «the party of war» came to power in the Kremlin, Aslan Maskhadov said:

«Russia needed to replace its ailing president, in other words, the 'Family' needed its own man. Such a man had to be found or made up. And it is very easy to make up a man, i.e. to create the rating he needs when there is a war. This is why this war was initiated. Generals Kvashnin, Troshev, Shamanov, Babichev and others who disgracefully lost the first war in 1994-1996 conspired with the 'Family' and its protege Putin. They were driven by their thirst for retribution for their own disgraceful defeat. And the second war began after the Russian secret services masterminded blasts of apartment buildings in Buynaksk, Volgodonsk, and Moscow. It was by sheer chance that one more building was not blown up in Ryazan. All these cold-blooded murders were perpetrated by the Russian authorities in order to shift the blame on the Chechens and label them as 'international terrorists'. One of these provocations is the so-called 'raid on Dagestan' when Russian secret services staged 'an uprising in Dagestan' to lure Chechen volunteers into this republic and have a pretext to talk about 'Chechen aggression' afterwards."

While commenting on «the presidential elections» in Chechnya on 5 October 2003, Aslan Maskhadov described them as «a disgrace, a scam and a show staged by Russian politicians and local puppets». Chechen President drew the journalists' attention to the fact that no elections can be regarded as legitimate because of the continuing war and the occupation of a considerable part of Chechen territories.

Besides, Aslan Maskhadov mentioned that at the very beginning of this war, the State Defense Council (SDC) of CRI decided to impose martial law on the territory of the Republic. «Under the Chechen Constitution, as long as the war continues and martial law has not been lifted, there can be no congresses, referendums, elections or any other lawmaking activities on the territory of the Chechen State. There have to be suitable conditions for self-expression and these conditions cannot be created until the war is over, until we liberate our lands from these invaders, aggressors and butchers. «Therefore, these 'elections' are not taken seriously here in Chechnya or elsewhere in the world. Not a single international organization sent its observers and there were no independent journalists on the territory of Chechnya. While they were imitating the elections, active hostilities were under way and the turnout of voters did not exceed 3 or 5 percent of the population».

Aslan Maskhadov then said that the Kremlin is taking no heed of international law or common sense, and keeps trying to impose colonial slavery on the people of Chechnya counting exclusively on brute force:

«The people of Chechnya have to deal with the entire infernal arsenal of the empire - military invasion, cluster missiles, penetrating bombs, unending terror unleashed by the 'death squads' of the Federal Security Service [FSB] and the Main Intelligence Directorate [GRU] and open genocide. The Kremlin first tried to impose its 'constitutional referendum' on us and now it is imposing the 'elections'. And these mindless people can only be stopped by force, and this is what we are doing. If Russia is our worst enemy and if we are at war with Russia, how can they ever appoint a normal president or a leader for us? This means that they can appoint one of their own people who is an enemy as well. Therefore, a leader appointed by the Kremlin would be conscientiously fulfilling the duties placed on him by the Kremlin, which means that he will be helping the invaders carry out genocide against their own nation. And he will be doing this until our fighters and national avengers apprehend him. He will definitely be punished».

Asked how the developments may unfold in the future, Aslan Maskhadov replied:

«I think that by continuing these referendum and election shows, the Kremlin is opting for a further escalation of violence. Unfortunately, this means that the war will continue. We will not give up our Resistance as long as there are Russian troops on our soil. We will certainly clear our lands from these thugs and murderers. And we are convinced that we will have our own free Chechen State».

President was asked what percentage of the population supported the fight for independence. And Mr. Maskhadov replied:

«Yes, our people are exhausted, this war has been going on for almost five years. But if you ask any Chechen, whether an ardent supporter of independence or someone loyal to Russia, about his attitude towards Russia, you will find that everyone hates Russia. And today, after all this violence, not a single Chechen can be a sincere supporter of Russia. I am not talking about dishonest people pursuing their own goals. There is only one way to free ourselves from Russia - by building our own independent Chechen state. Another thing I know is that if you ask anyone how to stop the war, they will answer - this will be done neither by Putin, nor by the West, nor by Kadyrov, this will be done by national Resistance fighters. Only they can do it and the people are convinced of it. I am sure that the people support the Resistance and this is our confidence in the victory».

Asked about the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the war in Chechnya, Mr. Maskhadov said:

«In my opinion, the Kremlin leaders have brought themselves to a complete impasse and can no longer stop the war. Only a third party can stop it. How can the war be stopped? The Chechen side has come up with its own concept: 'the principle of conditional independence'. I have already approved it, and it has been submitted to the international community by our foreign minister, Ilyas Akhmadov. Let me reiterate that it is impossible to stop the war in Chechnya without the involvement of a third party, a third-party state and authoritative international organizations. Because the Kremlin's woeful dreamer, unable to crush the Resistance, is cherishing illusions to provoke a civil war in Chechnya with the help of these puppets - a gang of bandits surrounding Kadyrov. And we are saying that this is impossible. No one has been able to do this in a place where a war between the two states is going on and where foreign aggression is being fended off. There can be collaborators hiding behind the invaders, there can be treacherous puppets, but the very logic of condemning a foreign invasion stops the social segmentation of society and unites the society even more. Therefore, we cannot have a civil war in principle. There have been no analogies in history and I don't know what the Russians are trying to make up».

Aslan Maskhadov was asked what ideological base the Chechen Resistance was relying on in its fight against Russian invaders.

«I understand your question. I would like to state again that we are not international terrorists or fundamentalists. We are Chechens fighting for our national independence. We did not invent the idea of national liberation, we inherited it from our fathers and from our grandfathers. We are carrying on with what they started centuries ago, when there were no such things as  international terrorism' or 'fundamentalism'. We simply want to free ourselves from the colonial oppression of a barbaric state, and this is what we are doing».

The Chechen President was asked why the Russian-Chechen war is almost completely ignored in the world and whether there is any degree of Western support for the national liberation movement of the Chechen people. Aslan Maskhadov answered that the West is not interested in peace because the war in Chechnya gives Western leaders additional leverage to influence the Kremlin in solving many geopolitical issues. «Our turn has not come yet. The West is now busy with the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, the Caucasus, fuel and energy issues etc. And the West is playing with Russia while dealing with these problems today. But when it is our turn and when the West decides to include the North Caucasus region and the Caspian oil potential into its area of influence, they will come to us, the Chechens, and then we will say our word to Russia and to the West the way it benefits us. Therefore, we know one thing for sure: our turn is yet to come. While the West is solving other problems, we need to continue our fight and our organized Resistance to the Russian aggression. This is why we are counting not on the West, but on ourselves. And we will keep on fighting».

In conclusion, journalists asked President Maskhadov about his reaction to Akhmad Kadyrov's «victory in the elections».

«How can I react to a puppet that is being imposed on the Chechens by a state that we are at war with? Does it make any difference for us whether he is 'elected' or sent, whether he is an administrator or a 'president'? For us, he is an enemy and a despicable traitor. The Kremlin today believes that Kadyrov is the most suitable figure. But I would describe it differently: he is the most suitable figure for the Resistance because this man is despised by every single person in Chechnya - from the young to the old. He is despised even by those who were against Dudayev or Maskhadov. He has brought together all Chechens in their hatred towards him and towards his Kremlin patrons. So Kadyrov is a very suitable figure for Maskhadov and for the entire Resistance movement».

Chechen Press
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