ARF PARTICIPATES IN SOCIALIST INTERNATIONAL’S CIS AND CAUCASUS CONVENTION IN MOSCOW
ARF’s Press Service
Yerkir.am
May 26, 2006
The convention of the Socialist International’s Committee for CIS
and the Caucasus was held in Moscow on May 19-20.Representatives of
16 parties from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Byelorussia, Bulgaria, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Netherlands, Poland,
Russia, Sweden and Ukraine as well as representatives of women’s
organizations and Party of European Socialists (PES) participated in
the convention. The Russian social-democrat party chaired by Vladimir
Kishenin was hosting the event.
ARF’s delegation included Kiro Manoyan, ARF Bureau’s Political Affairs
Office director and Eduard Ghazarian of the same office as well as
Yura Navoyan, who heads the Hay Dat office in Moscow. Co-Chairman
of Azerbaijan’s social-democratic party, the first president of
Azerbaijani Republic Ayaz Mutalibov who had been exiled to Moscow
many years ago participated in the convention.
Chairwoman of the Committee, Member of the European Parliament
from the Hungarian Socialist Party Alexandra Doboji opened the
convention. Secretary General of Socialist International Luis Ayala
and the chairman of the hosting party made welcome remarks.
The two main issues on the convention’s agenda were Russia and
Byelorussia.
A number of political figures from these two countries attended
the convention.
The convention delegates discussed the situation with socialist
democracy in Russia first hearing the opinions of the Russian political
leaders and then analyses provided by the convention participants.
The Russian delegated voiced their concerns with the problems existing
in the country and the public administration system in general. The
delegates acknowledged that the federal programs initiated by President
Putin do have a socialist orientation. However, they also noted that
there are no social-democratic political movements in the country.
The delegates from the CIS countries stressed that consolidation
and development of social democracy in Russia will contribute to
the further development of social democracy in their countries and
natural development of the relations between CIS member states.
After the situation in Byelorussia was discussed the convention
adopted a resolution demanding the Byelorussian authorities to
release all political prisoners and calling upon the socialist and
social-democrat forces in the country to unite and jointly struggle
for the success of social democracy in Byelorussia.
At the convention the delegates reports on the political situation
in their countries after the Committee’s previous convention in Kyiv
was heard.
The Committee’s further plans were discussed. It was decided to
discuss the issue of Chechnya. Secretary General Ayala reiterated
the Committee’s previous decision that the next convention will be
held in the fall in Yerevan. At this convention issues of regional
importance will be discussed. Secretary General informed that Socialist
International’s Committee on Migration will convene in Moldova.
In addition to the official sessions of the convention ARF’s delegation
members had a number of meetings with participating delegations.
Socialist International is an organization that unites 170
political parties and organizations from all continents. The Armenian
Revolutionary Federation Party is the only party in the CIS that has
full membership in the Socialist International Organization.