21.06.2010

WELCOME BY MR MEVLÜT ÇAVUŞOĞLU,

PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,

TO Mr YUNUS-BEK YEVKUROV,

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INGUSHETIA

(RUSSIAN FEDERATION)

(Strasbourg, Tuesday 22 June 2010, 10.00 A.M., Hemicycle)

On behalf of the Assembly, I am pleased to welcome Mr. Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, President of the Republic of Ingushetia.

Mr. President, all of us who have had the opportunity to read Mr. Marty's excellent report are aware of the difficulties you are facing in your Republic.

As soon as you were elected President last year, you tackled the Republic's problems vigourously and courageously. Yet these problems were not simple. They include wide-spread corruption, massive unemployment, especially among young people, and last but not least, a wave of terrorism by radical fundamentalists who call themselves muslims. The problems were unfortunately compounded and not resolved by inappropriate and often even illegal responses of the security forces, which undermined the trust of the population in the state bodies.

Mr President, I would also like to praise your commitment to solving problems on the basis of a real dialogue with civil society - a method which should be followed by all leaders in the North Caucasus region. It was well-noted that the head of the Ingush office of "Memorial" was present and spoke freely at the meeting you organised during Mr. Marty's visit with representatives of civil society.

Your efforts were cruelly interrupted, but not stopped, by a bomb last summer that killed members of your entourage and left you severely injured. It is good to see you here in good health. We now look forward to hearing your contribution to this important debate.

President Yevkurov, you have the floor.