Chernomyrdin said voters should decide Chechnya 's future but stressed there was no question of the government letting the region quit the Russian Federation -- something Moscow fears could encourage separatist tendencies in other ethnic regions , particularly in the strategic North Caucasus .
<response> <person>Chernomyrdin</person> said voters should decide <location>Chechnya</location> 's future but stressed there was no question of the government letting the region quit the <location>Russian Federation</location> -- something <location>Moscow</location> fears could encourage separatist tendencies in other ethnic regions , particularly in the strategic <location>North Caucasus</location> . </response>