Coordination board of Balkar organizations starts preparing Congress of Balkar People

On August 31, the coordination board (CB) of Balkar NGOs made a decision to convoke a congress for deciding on the issue of self-determination of the Balkar people. Bakhaudin Etezov was unanimously elected to be the chairman of the organizing committee of the congress. The organizing committee includes all the CB members and will invite experts - Balkar historians, economists and lawyers.

Let us remind you that the coordination board of Balkar public organizations includes the Board of Elders of the Balkar People (BEBP), the "Elborus" organization of Karachai-Balkar people, the organization named "Balkaria" and the "Peasants' Union". On August 24, the BEBP held a press conference, where it was stated that the organization would start preparing the all-Balkarian congress for discussing the issue of self-determination of the Balkar people.

In the course of debates on August 31, the CB members expressed different viewpoints.

"We should decide on holding the congress, and to address the issue of our state at it. No other issues should be on the congress agenda," Ruslan Babayev has stated. In his opinion, whoever keeps power in Kabardino-Balkaria, the problems of the Balkar people will not be solved until the nation is self-determined.

Dalkhat Baidayev offered to write another letter to Vladimir Putin as to Russian Premier and head of the Party "Edinaya Rossiya" about the situation in the republic. The audience agreed to write a letter, but at the same time - to prepare the congress.

Bakhaudin Etezov, chairman of the organizing committee of the congress, believes that there is no need to convoke a new congress, since there is already a decision to create the Republic of Balkaria; and there is a need to practically enforce it. Lawyer Oyus Gurtuev explained to him that the 19-year-old decision is no longer legitimate. Besides, the legislation changed a lot since 1991. Now, under the Russian legislation, a new federation subject can be formed only through merging.

Members of Kabardian NGOs refused to comment on the convocation of the Balkar congress and its possible decisions.

Sufian Beppayev, head of public organization of the Balkar people named "Alan", said in his comments given earlier to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the "Alan" is against splitting the republic. He treated these attempts as actions of "destructive" forces. In his opinion, all the problems can be solved within the status quo.