Following the groundbreaking talks that took place in Oslo last month, I have had the pleasure of mediating a further round of consultations between Dukhvakha Abdurakhmanov, representative of the Russian authorities in Moscow, and Akhmed Zakaev, Prime Minister of the Maskhadov continuation government, in London this week. Both sides joined me at a press conference we held yesterday in London to announce the talks and stand united in calling for the need to convene the World Chechen Congress.

I cannot express enough how important these developments are. In my capacity as the mediator of these talks, I am delighted that both parties in these Russian-Chechen consultations have taken an important step towards transforming the geopolitical landscape which can have a radical impact in both Russia and Chechnya. By reaching an agreement on the need to convene the World Chechen Congress, the prospects for Chechen-Russian relations and the Chechen people are going in the right direction for the first time in 20 years.

Once again, this process shows political will at the highest levels of the Russian administration. At the press conference today, Abdurakhmanov himself said that he had approval and support from President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin for his role in the talks.

This is indeed why many would call these talks a breakthrough in the much-needed peace process. It is important to remember that there is a lot more work to do, but I am extremely gratified to have been involved so closely in this momentous occasion, after many years of campaigning to promote the cause of democracy, the rule of law, peace and human rights in Chechnya.

Ivar Amundsen
Director, Chechnya Peace Forum