BRUSSELS, Belgium — On May 30, a delegation of Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun (ARF-D) representatives held meetings with the leadership of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and the Party of European Socialists (PES).
The ARF-D delegation, which was headed by ARF-D Bureau member and head of the party’s Parliamentary faction Armen Rustamyan, included ARF-D 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. S&D Group Bureau Vice President, responsible for foreign policy, member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Victor Boştinaru (Romania); member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, S&D coordinator Knut Fleckenstein (Germany), and President of the Party of European Socialists, MEP Sergei Stanishev (Bulgaria) participated in the meeting.
Discussions during the meeting included the recent developments in Armenia as well as what the ARF-D 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.
(L-R) Kaspar Karampetian, Giacomo Filibeck, Armen Rustamyan, and Giro Manoyan (Photo: EAFJD)
The second meeting was held at the Party of European Socialists headquarters with the Deputy Secretary General of the Party of European Socialists Giacomo Filibeck. The parties touched upon the potentials of furthering their cooperation as well as of taking joint initiatives regarding the wider region.
Founded in 1992, the Party of European Socialists (PES) brings together the Socialist, Social Democratic, Labor and Democratic Parties of its 33 full members. PES has 13 associate parties coming from either EU member or candidate states, and 12 observer parties from outside the EU territory. The ARF-D 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 consists of 191 members -thus comprising the second largest group in the EP, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D)- and is the only political group in the European Parliament with representatives from all 28 member states.
ARF-D Press Office
