Parliament speaker's phrase on completed border demarcation surprises Chechen natives

On January 20, Magomed Daudov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament, reported to Ramzan Kadyrov that the clarification of the borders of Chechnya with neighbouring regions had been completed and the information about them had been included into the state register. The demarcation was of a behind-the-scene nature amid disputes over the Chechen borders with Ingushetia and Dagestan, local residents note.

In January 2019, the "Rosreestr" (Russian Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography) demanded from the regions of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) to clarify their administrative boundaries. The border between Chechnya and North Ossetia was defined without disputes, but the authorities' activities to coordinate the borders between Chechnya and Dagestan led to conflicts in 2019. Residents of Dagestan were dissatisfied with the fact that the activities on border demarcation were being conducted behind closed doors. In June 2019, not far from Kizlyar, road signs installed by Chechnya were dismantled, and that fact caused a resonance in both republics.

The activities on the definition of borders were not transparent, said Umar, a staff member of a Chechen NGO. "Many people believe that our republic has lost more than it gained after definition of the borders with its neighbours," Umar noted.

A similar opinion was expressed by Timur, a resident of Grozny. "In fact, people don't know who and where mark the border. There were some exchanges of territories with Ingushetia and Dagestan, and mutual complaints have been voiced ... Now we are told that everything is fine," Timur said.

Earlier, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have warned of the danger of conflicts during the coordination and definition of borders in Northern Caucasus. The experts note that the federal centre will have to look for special political solutions with regard to those activities.