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GROZNY, May 18 (RIA Novosti) - Chechen President Alu Alkhanov Thursday dismissed allegations of a growing conflict between him and the republic's prime minister.
Media outlets had speculated that a rift was growing between Alukhanov and Kremlin-backed Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov - son of murdered former Chechen president Akhmed Kadyrov - and that the two held largely opposing views on the future of the republic.
"I have normal relations [with Kadyrov]," Alukhanov said. "Both Kadyrov and I have enough brains and willpower to avoid letting the situation worsen, and we will not let anybody use us as a bulldozer."
Alukhanov said the interests of the Chechen people were the priority for regional leaders.
"Both the prime minister and I as president know what the people [of Chechnya] want," Alkhanov said, adding that the public interest was above any personal ambitions.
"The most important task for the leadership of the Chechen Republic is to strengthen peace, to create and build," he said. "I bear full responsibility for everything that happens in the republic, but the power vertical and parallel should certainly be respected."
