MOSCOW, Sept. 19 (Xinhuanet) -- Chechnya's upcoming parliamentary elections will become a milestone event bringing Chechnya closer to stability, President Vladimir Putin said Monday in a message to his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad.

    "Despite the remaining difficulties linked above all to the bandit actions of terrorist groups, the situation in Chechnya has undergone a turnaround and has overall positive dynamics," Putin said in the message, according to the Kremlin press service.

    Putin said the election, set for Nov. 27, will become "an important milestone" in stabilizing the situation in the republic.

    The message was delivered to the Syrian leader by Chechen President Alu Alkhanov, who is visiting Syria.

    Chechnya, a volatile region in Russia's North Caucasus, has been plagued by frequent attacks blamed on separatist rebels therethat targeted security forces as well as civilians.

    Chechen law enforcement agencies are increasingly responsible for security in the region, economic and social recovery is movingahead, and people's cultural and spiritual life is undergoing a revival, Putin said.

    Chechen officials have said the Chechen parliament will have two chambers. The upper house, the Republican Council, will have 21 seats and the lower house, the People's Assembly, will have 40 members. Enditem