Russian-Chechen Agreement

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Country/entity: Russia
Chechnya
Region: Europe and Eurasia
Agreement name: Russian-Chechen Agreement
Date: 23 Nov 1996
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/intrastate conflict
Chechnya Conflicts (1991 - 2009)
The First Chechen War (1995 - 1997)
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, relations between the Federal Russian government with the over 100 ethnic groups deteriorated as demands for autonomy became a major political issue. In March 1992, a federation treaty was drafted and by 1994 the treaty was signed between 87 of the 88 federal jurisdictions and central government, with Chechnya being the exception. The conflict erupted in 1991 following the death of the head of the Communist Party in Grozny when a faction of the USSR’s dissolved military stormed Party Headquarters. Russian forces failed to re-take Grozny and in 1993 the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria announced its independence. Violence and discrimination preceded economic stagnation as non-Chechnens fled the region, and eventually an undeclared civil war broke out as the Chechen opposition attempted a counter-coup against the Chechen ruler Dzhokhar Dudayev. Following the dissolution of the Chechen Parliament in June 1993, a state of emergency was declared, and in December that year an other coup was attempted by the opposition. Issues of sovereignty spurred an assault by Russian troops in December 1994, marking the start of the first Chechen War wherein Russian troops faced four years of insurgency until a ceasefire was unilaterally declared in 1996. A peace treaty was signed in 1997 and Russian forces withdrew.

The Second Chechen War (1999 - 2004)
The inter-war period was marked by economic desolation, corruption and crime. Political polarization was rife, and religious extremism flourished. In August 1999, the Islamic International Brigade led by Shamil Basayev invaded the Russian Republic of Dagestan seeking to found an Islamic State, thereby sparking the Second Chechen War. In response, the Russian Federation began a bombing campaign against the Chechen government and eventually re-took Grozny. An insurgency began following the fall of the Chechen government and separatist attacks spurred an increasingly harsh response from the Kremlin. By 2006, the main separatist leaders had been killed, and the republic has been run by the pro-Russian government led by Ramzan Kadyrov since 2007.
Stage: Framework/substantive - partial
Conflict nature: Government/territory
Peace process: Chechnya peace process
Parties: Signed by Russian Federation Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Aslan Maskhadov, Prime Minister of the Coalition Government of Chechnya.
Third parties: -
Description: Agreement on the principles of relations between the federal center of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic, until the election of a new parliament and President of the Chechen Republic, concerning the economic sector and humanitarian issues, and the defense sector.

Agreement document: RU_CRI_961123_Russian-Chechen Agreement.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF

Groups

Children/youth: No specific mention.
Disabled persons: No specific mention.
Elderly/age: No specific mention.
Migrant workers: No specific mention.
Racial/ethnic/national group: No specific mention.
Religious groups: No specific mention.
Indigenous people: No specific mention.
Other groups: No specific mention.
Refugees/displaced persons: No specific mention.
Social class: No specific mention.

Gender

Women, girls and gender: No specific mention.
Men and boys: No specific mention.
LGBTI: No specific mention.
Family: No specific mention.

State definition

Nature of state (general): No specific mention.
State configuration: No specific mention.
Self determination: No specific mention.
Referendum: No specific mention.
State symbols: No specific mention.
Independence/secession: No specific mention.
Accession/unification: No specific mention.
Border delimitation: No specific mention.
Cross-border provision: No specific mention.

Governance

Political institutions (new or reformed): No specific mention.
Elections: Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
4. The present agreement will be valid until the election of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic.
Electoral commission: No specific mention.
Political parties reform: No specific mention.
Civil society: No specific mention.
Traditional/religious leaders: No specific mention.
Public administration: No specific mention.
Constitution: No specific mention.

Power sharing

Political power sharing: No specific mention.
Territorial power sharing: No specific mention.
Economic power sharing: No specific mention.
Military power sharing: No specific mention.

Human rights and equality

Human rights/RoL general: No specific mention.
Bill of rights/similar: No specific mention.
Treaty incorporation: No specific mention.
Civil and political rights: No specific mention.
Socio-economic rights: No specific mention.

Rights related issues

Citizenship: No specific mention.
Democracy: No specific mention.
Detention procedures: No specific mention.
Media and communication: No specific mention.
Mobility/access: Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
... 1.3. The unimpeded movement of citizens, officials, and freight is to be guaranteed, for the purpose of which: The activity of the civil airport in the city of Groznyy, as well as railway and road traffic, are to be resumed by 1 December 1996; - a regulation is to be jointly drawn up and approved by 1 December 1996 on procedures for the customs handling of goods travelling in the Chechen Republic and into the Chechen Republic;
Protection measures: No specific mention.
Other: No specific mention.

Rights institutions

NHRI: No specific mention.
Regional or international human rights institutions: No specific mention.

Justice sector reform

Criminal justice and emergency law: No specific mention.
State of emergency provisions: No specific mention.
Judiciary and courts: No specific mention.
Prisons and detention: No specific mention.
Traditional Laws: No specific mention.

Socio-economic reconstruction

Development or socio-economic reconstruction: Socio-economic reconstruction→Development or socio-economic reconstruction→Socio-economic development
Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
1.2. In the sphere of economic mutual relations between the parties in the period up to the conclusion of the above mentioned agreement the legislation of the Chechen Republic and the Russian Federation is to be employed;

Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
... 1.4. Social and humanitarian issues will be addressed as a matter of immediacy, for which purpose;
-- Measures will be implemented to restore life-supporting facilities in populated areas of the Chechen Republic, after the payment of pensions and wages has been provided for;
National economic plan: No specific mention.
Natural resources: Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
... 1.3. ... - an agreement is to be concluded by 1 December 1996 on the issues of the production, processing, and transportation of oil, refined oil products, and gas on the territory of the Chechen Republic. The Chechen side guarantees the safety of pipeline transportation and of petroleum and gas extraction and processing facilities;
International funds: No specific mention.
Business: No specific mention.
Taxation: No specific mention.
Banks: No specific mention.

Land, property and environment

Land reform/rights: No specific mention.
Pastoralist/nomadism rights: No specific mention.
Cultural heritage: No specific mention.
Environment: No specific mention.
Water or riparian rights or access: No specific mention.

Security sector

Security Guarantees: Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
3. It will be recognized as necessary to agree actions in the defense sector, in which respect the parties take upon themselves the obligation not to undertake any actions that threaten their security.
Ceasefire: No specific mention.
Police: No specific mention.
Armed forces: No specific mention.
DDR: No specific mention.
Intelligence services: No specific mention.
Parastatal/rebel and opposition group forces: No specific mention.
Withdrawal of foreign forces: No specific mention.
Corruption: No specific mention.
Crime/organised crime: No specific mention.
Drugs: No specific mention.
Terrorism: No specific mention.

Transitional justice

Transitional justice general: No specific mention.
Amnesty/pardon: No specific mention.
Courts: No specific mention.
Mechanism: No specific mention.
Prisoner release: No specific mention.
Vetting: No specific mention.
Victims: Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
... 1.4. Social and humanitarian issues will be addressed as a matter of immediacy, for which purpose;
- Measures will be implemented to pay compensation to persons who suffered during combat;
Missing persons: No specific mention.
Reparations: Transitional justice→Reparations→Material reparations
Page 1, On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:
1. In the economic sector
... 1.4. Social and humanitarian issues will be addressed as a matter of immediacy, for which purpose;
- Measures will be implemented to pay compensation to persons who suffered during combat;
Reconciliation: No specific mention.

Implementation

UN signatory: No specific mention.
Other international signatory: No specific mention.
Referendum for agreement: No specific mention.
International mission/force/similar: No specific mention.
Enforcement mechanism: 1. provides for an agmt on special economic mutual relations; 2. separate agmts to be concluded on specific issues arising from the present agmt
Related cases: No specific mention.
Source: https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/RU_961123_RussianChechenAgreement.pdf

Text of Russian-Chechen Agreement

23 Nov 1996

On the basis of the necessity of reinforcing the peace process, for the purpose of determining the principles of cooperation until the elections of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic, the parties have agreed the following:

1. In the economic sector

1.1. An agreement is to be concluded on the principles of special economic mutual relations between the parties after the election of a new president and parliament of the Chechen Republic;

1.2. In the sphere of economic mutual relations between the parties in the period up to the conclusion of the above mentioned agreement the legislation of the Chechen Republic and the Russian Federation is to be employed;

1.3. The unimpeded movement of citizens, officials, and freight is to be guaranteed, for the purpose of which:

The activity of the civil airport in the city of Groznyy, as well as railway and road traffic, are to be resumed by 1 December 1996;

- a regulation is to be jointly drawn up and approved by 1 December 1996 on procedures for the customs handling of goods travelling in the Chechen Republic and into the Chechen Republic;

- an agreement is to be concluded by 1 December 1996 on the issues of the production, processing, and transportation of oil, refined oil products, and gas on the territory of the Chechen Republic.

The Chechen side guarantees the safety of pipeline transportation and of petroleum and gas extraction and processing facilities;

1.4. Social and humanitarian issues will be addressed as a matter of immediacy, for which purpose;

-- Measures will be implemented to restore life-supporting facilities in populated areas of the Chechen Republic, after the payment of pensions and wages has been provided for;

-- Measures will be implemented to pay compensation to persons who suffered during combat;

2. It will be established that ministries and departments of the Russian Federation and ministries and departments of the Chechen Republic on the territory of the Chechen Republic will be guided by this agreement. [

sentence as heard] Separate agreements may be concluded on specific issues arising from the present agreement.

3. It will be recognized as necessary to agree actions in the defense sector, in which respect the parties take upon themselves the obligation not to undertake any actions that threaten their security.

4. The present agreement will be valid until the election of a new parliament and president of the Chechen Republic.

Signed by Russian Federation Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Aslan Maskhadov, Prime Minister of the Coalition Government of Chechnya.