TBILISI. Feb 15 (Interfax-AVN)- Russia can grant amnesty to Chechen nationals currently in the Pankisi Gorge, who "lost their way" and came to Georgia bearing arms, in line with the country's current federal legislation, Russian Deputy Emergency Situations Minister Yuri Brazhnikov told journalists on Friday.
Brazhnikov heads the Russian interdepartmental commission that is working with Georgian colleagues in Tbilisi on the refugees' return to Chechnya.
The commission head said that "Russia has specific laws on rebels who lay down their arms, and in effect, come to surrender."
The Russian and Georgian parties are discussing the return of rebels "in order to work out a plan of joint actions and to start important humanitarian work," Brazhnikov said after meeting Georgian Deputy Interior Minister Shota Dogonadze. "There are no uncoordinated issues, as the leadership of the two nations have expressed political will in relation to this problem, and therefore considerable progress has been made," he said.
Brazhnikov announced that Georgia had lists of Chechen refugees staying in the Pankisi Gorge, and that they should be transferred to the Russian party for preparations for the refugees' return to Chechnya.
According to the latest data obtained by Tbilisi, Georgia hosts over 7,000 Chechen refugees.