Press release, 04.04.2017

On March 30 – April 2, the Green Party of England and Wales hosted the first ever joint congress between the Global Greens and the European Green Party gathering environmentalists from all over the world to hold political debates and develop a further political strategy. It was the largest congress in the history of the environmental movement. Olga Tsepilova, Chair of Yabloko’s Green Russia faction (an associate member of the European Green Party), participated in the event.

The Greens discussed not only environmental issues and climate change but the major political topics: growth of populism, democracy and the future of Europe, and Theresa May launching the Brexit process, triggering Article 50.

On 31 March, Green Russia representatives carried on negotiations with the Green party of Mongolia. Last year the two organisations signed a memorandum on cooperation.

After the negotiations Olga Tsepilova participated in the “Green Action in the age of Trump, Erdogan, Putin and right-wing populism” session.

She emphasized the difference between the populist approaches of Marine Le Pen and Vladimir Putin: “Le Pen is focusing on the internal policy, while in his populism Putin is always trying to switch the attention of people from internal issues to foreign policy – the situation with Ukraine and Syria. An image of an enemy – the USA and the European countries with developed democratic institutions – is actively propagandised and advocated in the country.”

On 1 April, Olga Tsepilova carried on negotiations with the representatives of the Green parties of Sweden and the USA.

The final plenary session on April 2 began with a minute’s silence commemorating environmental scientist Alexei Yablokov [who passed away in January 2017]. Olga Tsepilova addressed those present with a speech: “He was a world-renowned life scientist, a citizen, a charismatic person, a leader… In the end of 1980-es, after perestroika, he united all non-government environmental organisations in Russia. In 2005 he began founding the political branch of the green movement in Russia in a democratic Yabloko party. No matter whether we won or lost he would say “now we go on”. Yablokov will remain the leader of Green Russia forever. Thank you for remembering him. Your support is vital for all the Greens. And I would like to sum up with Yablokov’s words – let us go on, my friends!”.

A number of resolutions were adopted on April 2, including the resolutions on the situation in Syria, Eastern Ukraine, political challenge of Trump and far right-wing forces, nuclear energy and other topics.

The European Greens also adopted a statement on the situation in Belarus. Hundreds of peaceful demonstrators, including several members of the Green party of Belarus, were detained in Minsk last week. The politicians condemned the reprisals against the activists, freedom of speech and assembly in Belarus and called on the immediate release of all the detained.