The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO will join Liberal International as a fully-fledged member of this international political organisation which joins together liberal-oriented political parties.

This will happen at the Congress of the Liberal International to be held in Budapest, on March 21-23, 2002. The leader of YABLOKO Grigory Yavlinsky will represent the party at the congress.

Today the Liberal International comprises 58 fully-fledged member-parties, including the German Free Democrats, the Liberal Party of the UK, and the Liberal Party of Canada. Another 20 parties, including YABLOKO (since 1998), enjoy observer status in Liberal International. The Russian Democratic Party YABLOKO is the only party in Liberal International from Russia.

The decision to join Liberal International was adopted by the Presidium of the Bureau of the Federal Council of the party and approved a meeting of the Bureau of the Federal Council that was held in Moscow region on March 1-2, 2002.

"The ideology of the Liberal International completely corresponds to the YABLOKO course of building a social market economy in Russia," said Deputy Chairman of the YABLOKO party Sergei Mitrokhin.

See also:

Yabloko to Join Liberal International (NTV.ru)