BRUSSELS, Belgium (A.W.)— On May 30, a delegation of Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) representatives held meetings with the leadership of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and the Party of European Socialists.
The ARF delegation, which was headed by ARF Bureau member and head of the party’s Parliamentary faction Armen Rustamyan, included ARF Bureau member Giro Manoyan and the President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) Kaspar Karampetian.
The first meeting was held in the European Parliament with the leadership of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. Vice President of the Committee for Regional Development Victor Boştinaru (Romania), member of European Parliament and Committee of Foreign Affairs Knut Fleckenstein (Germany), and President of the Party of European Socialists Sergey Stanishov (Bulgaria) participated in the meeting.
Discussions during the meeting included the recent developments in Armenia as well as what the ARF expects and foresees. A decision was then made for further cooperation between the participating parties based on an agreement that was signed on July 6, 2016.
The second meeting was held at the Party of European Socialists headquarters with the current Deputy Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists Giacomo Filibeck.
Founded in 1992, the Party of European Socialists (PES) brings together the Socialist, Social Democratic, Labor and Democratic Parties from all over Europe and Norway. It currently has 33 full member parties and 13 associate and 12 observer parties. The ARF is holds the status of an observer party.
The PES is represented in all the European institutions by its member organizations and leaders. In the European Parliament, the PES is represented by the Progressive Alliance of the Socialists and Democrats. The PES is also represented at the European Commission. Currently, eight of the European commissioners belong to PES member parties including commission vice president and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
It has 191 members and is the only political group in the European Parliament with representatives from all 28 member states.
