Alla Dudaeva,  the widow wife of Dzhokhar Dudaev, first President of Ichkeria, and her son Degi applied for citizenship to Georgia’s Justice Ministry.

“My son and I are seeking Georgian citizenship, because I have felt a close tie with the country since my husband’s death,” Dudaeva said in an interview in the capital Tbilisi late yesterday. “The TV program offers me a chance to express my gratitude to the people of the Caucasus.”

President Mikhail Saakashvili must approve the request, the President’s spokeswoman Manana Manjgaladze said by telephone today, reported by Helena Bedwell from Bloomberg.

Dudaeva’s television program, Kavkazsky portret (Caucasian Portreit), was first aired on January 5 on Georgian state television’s Pervy Kavkazsky station (First Caucasus Tv), which broadcasts primarily in Russian.

“Art, poetry, beauty and science are the only ways left to restore the lost links between the people of the Caucasus after frequent wars,” Dudaeva said, adding that she has received positive feedback from viewers, especially since the station began broadcasting via satellite in addition to the internet.