Khakassia Parliament speaker apologizes for Kazakh Territory comment
MOSCOW. KAZINFORM - The parliament speaker in Russia's Khakassia Republic Vladimir Shtygashev has apologized for a statement he made about Moscow's right to "own" territories in Kazakhstan.
Vladimir Shtygashev said on April 12 that his words had been misinterpreted and he offered "sincere apologies" to everyone offended by his statement.
The media cited Shtygashev saying earlier this week that some territories (in particular, the East-Kazakhstan region or Rudny Altai) that used to be part of the Russian Federation had been given to Kazakhstan and therefore can be returned to Russia through referendums.
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to Kazakhstan on April 11 for an explanation of Shtygashev's statement.
The press service of the Parliament hastened to assure that these statements did not have political subtext.
"I grew up in an orphanage, which had great friendly multinational children. It was after the World War II. I had a lot of friends of different nationalities, with whom I keep in touch over the years. We always found a common language and honored traditions and roots of each other. I feel sorrow that my remarks were misinterpreted and caused outrage and misunderstanding among the brotherly people. If I offended someone I sincerely apologize for the comment", said the speaker. Source: www.rferl.org