On 18 July 2026, Prague hosted the Prague International Expert Scientific and Practical Conference on “Accession (signing) of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April, 1961.” The conference was dedicated to issues of international law and the prospects for expanding international support for the Chechen people.
The discussions focused on the following key issues:
the international legal status of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria;
international recognition of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria abroad;
prospects for cooperation with European institutions;
application of international law norms regarding the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria;
international legal personality of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and potential mechanisms for expanding its international contacts;
accession (signing) of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April, 1961.
This topic was reflected in publications covering the outcomes of the conference. The event was attended by representatives of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria abroad, Ukrainian and European lawyers, politicians, scholars, human rights advocates, public figures, journalists, representatives of European non-governmental organisations, as well as foreign guests.
The Conference was chaired by Viktor Shyshkin — Professor of Law, co-author of the Constitution of Ukraine and several Ukrainian laws and codes, the first Prosecutor General of independent Ukraine, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (I, II, and III convocations), and retired Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine.
Akhmed Zakayev — Prime Minister of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria — delivered a presentation (online format).
Other speakers at the Conference included:
Abdul Ortakhanov — Minister of State, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria;
Roza Dunayeva — Ombudsperson for Human Rights, Representative of the Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in the Republic of Austria.
The conference was also attended by Ibragim Ibragimov — Minister of Youth, Sports, and Tourism of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and public figures representing Chechen diaspora communities in Europe.
Leading Ukrainian specialists in the fields of law, state-building, and international relations took part in the discussions:
Viktor Shyshkin — Professor of Law, Chairman of the Conference;
Oleh Khrypun — Legal Expert, Judge, Chairman of the Northern Appellate Commercial Court of Ukraine;
Oleh Pankevych — History Expert, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VII convocation), Chairman of the Lviv Regional Council (2010–2012), Member of the Lviv Regional Council;
Andrii Svitlychnyi — Legal Expert, Co-founder of the “FemidaPro” initiative;
Serhii Movenko — Public Expert, Deputy Commander of the “Femida” volunteer unit during the defense of Chornobaivka.
The conference was moderated by Eduard Leonov — PhD student at the Department of European and International Law of the Institute of Legislation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (VII convocation), and Member of the Lviv Regional Council.
Representatives of the European expert community also took part in the conference:
Juraj Mesik (Slovakia) — Scholar, politician, Honorary Consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in the Slovak Republic;
Gunther Fehlinger-Jahn (Austria) — International cooperation expert, Chairman of the Austrian Committee for NATO Enlargement for Austria, Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the European Union.
Discussions on international law, diplomatic representation, human rights protection, and international support for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria involved experts with extensive experience in public administration, constitutional and international law, parliamentary activities, and international cooperation.
Following the deliberations of the Conference, a Resolution was adopted.
