President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday arrived in the Russian southern republic of Chechnya in the North Caucasus.
Medvedev's working trip started from a visit to the village of Tsentoroi, where he laid flowers to the grave of the Russian volatile republic's first president, Akhmad Kadyrov, who was killed in 2004. Medvedev also spoke to clergy.
The Russian leader then started a conference involving Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov and other officials.
Ramzan's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, was killed by a bomb explosion in a stadium in Chechnya's capital, Grozny, during a WWII victory parade on May 9, 2004.
At the conference, Medvedev praised the fight against militants in Chechnya. "Good results have been achieved recently," he said.
Militant violence is common in Russia's mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
The Kremlin has pledged to wage "a ruthless fight" against militant groups but also acknowledged a need to tackle unemployment, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption as causes of the ongoing violence in the region.
Russia has been fighting militants in the North Caucasus for over a decade, including two separatist wars in Chechnya.
GROZNY, June 14 (RIA Novosti)
