On June 21, 2000 an agreement “On measures to create a coalition of the two political organisations Yabloko and the Union of Right-Wing Forces” was signed by the deputies of the State Duma Vladimir Lukin (Yabloko) and Irina Khakamada (SPS). As the agreement states, it was signed “proceeding from the requirement consolidate the democratic and liberal forces in Russia, combine the efforts in strengthening fundamental common values in Russia – the civil society, market economy and a law-governed state.”

The agreement states: “The Union of Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko consider it necessary to organisationally create a single coalition of all political public organisations advocating democratic and liberal values over the next one or two years.”

SPS and Yabloko “consider it necessary to propose a single list of candidates at the next elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the RF both for the federal constituency and single-mandate constituencies”. In addition, SPS and Yabloko will support at all regional and local elections conducted after September 1, 2000 single candidates agreed upon by both parties.

The agreement also stipulates that SPS and Yabloko will “immediately begin facilitating co-ordination at regional and local level of the actions of regional and local branches of the Union of Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko, aimed at finalising the creation of joint organisations in most regions by 2001”.

In addition SPS and Yabloko “will immediately begin to form a Joint Political Council on a parity basis, which will co-ordinate work at federal, regional and local levels, of the branches of the Union of Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko.”

The organisational and legal form of such a coalition should be determined by December 2000. Irina Khakamada and Vladimir Lukin described the step undertaken by the two right-wing parties as “historic”. Irina Khakamada also stressed that “this will virtually be a union of absolutely equal partners, who calmly and without haste will move towards each other”.

Vladimir Lukin in turn drew attention to the fact that the formation of the future coalition would be “gradual”. However, he added that already today “we have made a major serious step towards a coalition”. According to Vladimir Lukin the two parties had earlier experienced “problems with trust”. “But the time has come, and we are moving in the right direction, where a coalition of the democratic forces is irreversible,” added Vladimir Lukin.

Noting that both SPS and Yabloko advocated a strengthening of the state, Lukin also stressed that “we oppose the transformation of our state into a community of tin soldiers”. The leader of the SPS faction Boris Nemtsov who was present at the signing of the agreement noted that the agreement is open to other democratic liberal forces in Russia.

However, he also said that SPS and Yabloko had agreed that the parties “should reach complete agreement” when admitting new members to the coalition. The leader of the Yabloko faction, Grigory Yavlinsky, who participated in the signing of the agreement, said that the members of the newly created coalition will “from hereon refuse to discuss in detail and in public the problems that had been dividing us earlier.” “We will look to the future,” Yavlinsky added.

According to Yavlinsky, “with the end of Yeltsin’s era”, an opportunity had come “to shape differently the Russian political scene”. Yavlinsky forecast that by autumn the first stage of the formation of the coalition should be completed. He also thinks that the coalition of democratic forces in Russia has “good prospects” today. Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

Agreement on Measures for creating a coalition of the political public organisations the Union of the Right-Wing Forces and Yabloko

Grigory Yavlinsky: Protocol on a coalition between the SPS and Yabloko may be signed shortly

Sergei Ivanenko: The union between the SPS and Yabloko was a correct step: the strategy targeted at uniting all democratic forces will be continued

Yabloko calls on democrats to unite

Yabloko and SPS begin working together

Deputy Speaker of the Duma Vladimir Lukin (the Yabloko faction) said that Russia and Ukraine should “simultaneously” seek further integration with Europe. He spoke in favour of the creation of a joint Russian-Ukrainian commission to develop a common position on integration with the EC.

In a speech on June 19, 2000, at the international seminar “Ukraine between Russia and the West. Strategy at the Beginning of the 21st Century”, Vladimir Lukin stressed that this was his personal point of view. He also noted that both Russia and Ukraine are “European countries”.

The problem of Russia and Ukraine can be summed up as follows: whether we are able to simultaneously begin the process of integration with Europe, said Lukin. Lukin also said that: “the better and more integrated relationships between Russia and Ukraine, the more we are respected”.

Lukin thinks that “Europe especially needs Ukraine, and especially Russia.” Without them Europe will not be able to become a “serious centre of the world influence”, which Europe has been striving. The international seminar covered the problems of the relationships between Ukraine and Russia with the West and the problems of European security.

Participants at the seminar included the Ambassador of the RF in Ukraine, Ivan Aboimov, the first president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk, Deputy Speaker of the Supreme Rada (Ed. Parliament) of Ukraine Stepan Gavrich, Advisor to the President of Ukraine Vladimir Gorbulin; leading expert of NATO James Sheer, the US Ambassador to Ukraine Steve Pfifer, the Ambassador of Great Britain to Ukraine Roland Smith, the Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Derek Fraser, the Ambassador of the FRG to Ukraine Eberhard Gaiken and the Ambassador of France to Ukraine Pascale Fieski. The seminar was organised by the International Institute of Human and Political Research, the Atlantic Council of Ukraine and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (Germany). Based on Interfax reports.

The leaders of three factions of the Duma, Yabloko, “Fatherland-All Russia”(OVR) and the “Union of Right-Wing Forces” (SPS) Grigory Yavlinsky, Evgeni Primakov and Boris Nemtsov, are going to ask the President of Belarus to guarantee that the parliamentary elections to be held in Belarus in October 2000 will be democratic.

The SPS leader Boris Nemtsov told journalists on June 19 that such an address would be forwarded “as it is necessary to make the elections democratic”. “Left-wing forces may also sign this address, as they also speak in favour of honest and publicly controlled elections (in Belarus),” stressed Boris Nemtsov.

On June 19, 2000 a meeting was held between the SPS leader Boris Nemtsov and Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko faction Sergei Ivanenko and representatives of the Byelorus opposition took place.

Boris Nemtsov said that the elections in Belarus should be “democratic” and that to achieve this goal, “all candidates including Lukashenko’s opponents should have access to the mass media.” Boris Nemtsov also said that it was necessary for the democratic forces in the Byelorussian parliament to unite to achieve success, i.e. they should take the same steps as Yabloko and the SPS in Russia.

He also advocated continuation of the integration of Russia and Belarus “in deeds rather than in words”. Boris Nemtsov stressed that “the discussion about the future of Russia-Belarus relations should not be handed over to Mr.Lukashenko” and representatives of nationalists forces of both the countries. In turn Deputy Chairman of the Yabloko faction Sergei Ivanenko expressed his view that parliamentary elections in Belarus “will involve great difficulties for the opposition”. But he stressed that experience demonstrated that “all the problems should be solved in parliament rather than in the street.” Sergei Ivanenko also thinks that, despite all these efforts, the parliamentary elections in Belarus are “unlikely to be democratic”. That is why Yabloko, OVR and SPS have decided to forward their address to the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. According to Sergei Ivanenko, the President of Belarus must “guarantee” that the elections are democratic.

The Chairman of the Belarussian Association of Yabloko Olga Abramova in her turn informed journalists that she had received these “brilliant proposals” from her Russian colleagues. “Our view that it is necessary to participate in the parliamentary elections and win seats in parliament has been supported,” said Olga Abramova. Based on Interfax reports