Russia concerned about border dispute between Chechnya and Ingushetia

The Russian president’s representative in the North Caucasus Alexander Khlopinin thinks that the issues concerning the border dispute between Chechnya and Ingushetia should be decided within the framework of working groups and not during public discussions. Public opinion seems to reflect the desire to discuss the issue on a professional level and it should not be used as an arena for insults and accusations. The Chechen leadership claims it possesses archived documents according to which some territories under the jurisdiction of Ingushetia historically belong to Chechnya. The dispute may raise tensions because in the Northern Caucasus, there is already an acute shortage of lands and this dispute may further aggravate the situation.