The President of Ingushetia Hosts a Reception in Magas in Honor of the Head of the Imperial House of Romanoff

Grand Duchess Maria of Russia met formally with Yunus-Bek Yevkurov in the offices of the President of Ingushetia. The meeting was also attended by members of the Chancellery of the House of Romanoff: Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov, the Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Prince Vadim Olegovich Lopukhin, the Chairman of the Office of Interregional Relations of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery; Mikhail Georgievich Shakhov, the head of Security for the Head of the Russian Imperial House; and Kirill Kirillovich Nemirovich-Danchenko, Advisor to the Chancellery of Her Imperial Highness. Also present were the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mukharbek Didigov; the Chief Federal Inspector of the Republic of Ingushetia, Vladimir Trubitsyn; and Orthodox and Muslim clergy.

In his opening remarks, the President expressed his enormous gratitude to the Head of the Imperial House of Romanoff for her visit to Ingushetia. “On behalf of the peoples of the Republic and myself personally, I want to thank you for coming to Ingushetia. We are honored to receive such a distinguished guest. Your visit is a very significant and historic event in the life of the Ingush people and of Russia as a whole, as our people have enjoyed such a long-standing and warm relationship with the Imperial House of Romanoff. The valiant service of the Ingush people to Russia has been shown time and again in numerous historical events. The Ingush people have played important roles in the Russian-Turkish Wars, Russo-Japanese War, and the two World Wars. Among the striking examples of the boundless devotion of the Ingush people to the Fatherland are the many feats of heroism of the Caucasian Cavalry Division at the front in Galicia during the First World War, which was commanded of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich,” said President Yevkurov.

In reply, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia noted that she has long wanted to come to Ingushetia. “I heard so many wonderful things about this region from my parents that I have always wanted to come here myself. It is especially important that I come here now because you are, I believe, an important example for the entire world in that you have preserved your family traditions. You have not forgotten your ancestors, and you value highly your historical roots. I believe it is always better to preserve close family contacts than to search for them somewhere else or with strangers,” the Grand Duchess said.

Gifts were exchanged during the meeting, as well. By Imperial Decree of the Grand Duchess, President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was invested with one of the highest awards of the Imperial House, the Imperial Order of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, First Class. This Order was established in 1929 by the Imperial House in exile, and was revived in 2001 and is awarded for distinguished service in the defense of the Fatherland. Many of Russia’s most prominent military leaders have been granted to right to wear this Order. According to Alexander Zakatov, the Director of Her Imperial Highness’s Chancellery, today the President of Ingushetia has become an honorary knight of this Order.

Accepting the award, President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov said that he regarded the Order as a recognition of the present and past services of the Ingush people to their homeland—Russia. In memory of the visit, President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov presented a book to the Grand Duchess about the history of the Ingush people, which describes the close relationship between the Ingush people and Imperial Russia, a relationship that remains imprinted in the current history of the people.

After the official reception, the Grand Duchess and the President of the Republic answered questions from journalists. Their conversation continued after an official dinner held in honor of the Grand Duchess.

Issued by the Press Service of the President of Ingushetia