21 years ago Khasavyurt agreements ended First Chechen War

Today it is exactly 21 years after signing the Khasavyurt agreements, which were treated by Alexander Lebed and Aslan Maskhadov as wise and long-lasting. These statements were overturned by both parties in conflict very quickly.

On August 31, 1996, Aslan Maskhadov, President of Ichkeria, and Alexander Lebed, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, signed a joint statement in Khasavyurt (Dagestan) on "Principles for Defining the Bases of Interrelations of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic". The document provided for the withdrawal of Russian troops from the republic and signing of a Russian-Chechen political agreement on the "deferred" status of the Chechen Republic until the end of 2001.

The above peace agreements were signed following the results of negotiations of Alexander Lebed with Aslan Maskhadov, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Chechnya, which were held at night on August 31, 1996, in Dagestani Khasavyurt.

"We’ve wisely decided that we are stopping the war. We decided to withdraw troops from here and be guided by universally recognized global norms. The war is over! Enough, we’re sick and tired of fighting," Mr Lebed announced.

Despite the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements and the conclusion of a peace treaty, in August 1999, the Second Chechen War broke out, officially named a counterterrorist operation (CTO). The trigger of the war was an attempt to invade Dagestan by militants commanded by Shamil Basaev and Khattab. The war lasted for almost ten years, until April 2009.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.