Members of the Socialist International (SI) Presidium, heads of state and government from SI member parties, heads of UN agencies, international organizations, and a number of foreign ministers on Sept. 26 gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York for the 6th annual meeting in conjunction with the UN General Assembly. The meeting was chaired by SI President George Papandreou, with participating members of the presidium, SI Secretary General Luis Ayala and SI vice-presidents.
The meeting focused on the latest developments in the struggle to gain new democracies in the world, as in Syria and Egypt, with a particular focus on peace, security, and human rights; and on the social democratic commitment to end poverty and establish equality.
The ARF-D was represented by Bureau member and SI vice-president Mario Nalbandian. Heads of state and government present included the recently elected president of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita; Prime Ministers Elio Di Rupo (Belgium) and Edi Rama (Albania), both SI vice-presidents; Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the prime minister of Mauritius; and Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta. António Guterres, the UN high commissioner for refugees, and José Miguel Insulza, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, participated as special invited guests.
A number of other senior government officials also attended, including Manuel Vicente, the vice-president of Angola, Titus Corlatean, the minister of foreign affairs of Romania, Zlatko Lagumdzija, minister of foreign affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and George Rebelo Chicoty, the minister of foreign affairs of Angola.
During the discussion about the Syrian crisis, Nalbandian spoke about the plight of the Syrian Armenians. He emphasized the need to have international aid reach all the segments of the population. He also spoke about the need for providing international assistance to support the fragmented educational system there. Regarding Syria’s neighbors, Nalbandian made a special reference to Turkey and to the artificially created difficulties the latter occasionally poses to Syrian Armenians at checkpoints.
The SI president also addressed the humanitarian needs of the Syrian Armenians.
Mario Nalbandian then talked about the relations of EU’s Eastern Partnership countries with the (Eurasian) Custom’s Union. The European Union, he said, hasn’t made major investments in Armenia and hasn’t contributed to the creation of new jobs. At the same time, Armenia is ready to continue deepening its political and social relations with the EU.
The presidium decided that the next SI Council meeting will take place in Istanbul on Nov. 11-12, 2013, hosted by the Republican People’s Party (CHP), to discuss ongoing crises related to the struggles for democracy, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and conflicts threatening peace and security. It will also include discussions to reaffirm the center-left vision for the global economy, with an emphasis on growth, jobs, and equality, as well as to create a new development agenda.
The Socialist International is the worldwide organization of social democratic, socialist, and labor parties. It currently brings together 170 political parties and organizations from almost 140 countries.
In 2003, the ARF-D was the first to hold full SI membership status among the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Nalbandian serves as SI vice-president, while ARF-D Bureau member Vahan Hovhannesyan is co-chairman of the Committee for the CIS, the Caucasus, and the Black Sea. ARF-D is also a member of the Statutory Committee on Finance and Administration of the SI.
The ARF-D Women’s Group is a full member of the SIW (Socialist International Women). The youth organization of the ARF-D, the Armenian Youth Federation, is a full member of the IUSY (International Union of Socialist Youth).
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