GROZNY, December 29. /TASS/. Chechnya accepts the official Vatican statement apologizing for Pope Francis’ remarks about the Chechens, head of the region Ramzan Kadyrov said during a video bridge Thursday.

"We are pleased that they have realized their mistake and apologized. We accept their apology, but we tell everyone: […] do not insult the Chechens. We are responsible for that," he said.

In late November, Pope Francis called servicemen from Buryatia and Chechnya "the cruelest" part of Russian forces in Ukraine. This remark caused a strong public outcry both in these regions and in Russia in general. Russian envoy to the Vatican Alexander Avdeyev expressed his indignation and filed a protest to the Holy See diplomatic service.

In December, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it received an official apology from the Vatican for Pope Francis’ remarks about Chechens and Buryats, adding that the incident is over. Head of Buryatia Alexey Tsydenov called the Vatican's apology a powerful gesture.