Press release, 13.12.2014

YABLOKO leader, when opening the Federal Council, stated that the solution of the Crimean issue can become only a legitimate referendum with the agreement of Ukraine and control of international organizations. An international conference should be conducted beforehand.

At the beginning of his speech, Sergei Mitrokhin summed up the results of the year 2014 and emphasized that the political spectrum configuration have changed dramatically during that period. The political forces had to predicate upon the key issues of international policy.

“On the one hand, a force consolidation of the parties of power was taking place, which coincides with the State Duma complement. On the other hand, a political force within the opposition has identified itself as the opponent of authorities in the sharpest political issues of the country. This force was us, the YABLOKO party”, he emphasized.

According to the politician, the Crimean issue has become an acid test. Many opposition politicians became confused by it and some of them even approved of the authorities actions, and only YABLOKO expressed its stance openly, reasonably, consecutively.

“When mass media calls us “the fifth column”, the enemies of state, demands to take away the budgetary financing, they show our outstanding importance within Russia’s politics”, he stated.

Sergei Mitrokhin reminded that a year ago the party took the decision to head for the European way of development and at the same time the present authorities chose the anti-European way of development for Russia.

“Now we can see what the outcome is: what is happening to ruble, the country actually participates in the war, new victims appeared, the prices increase, inflation, a deficit of food in the shops is beginning. According to anti-corruption stability rate, Russia has dropped five more positions. What profit did we get from this anti-European way. I believe, nothing good. Probably, the majority of Russia’s citizens will say that the revived Crimea”, he said.

YABLOKO leader stressed that exactly the annexation had taken place since it broke both the international, Ukrainian and Russian laws.
To all appearance, Russia’s development perspectives aren’t optimistic if one doesn’t change the situation, stated Mitrokhin.

“We received a hostile, set at war neighboring state instead of a fraternal boar daring state. The loss of a fraternal nation was the price of the political adventures”, said Mitrokhin.

According to Sergei Mitrokhin, the Ukrainians and Belorussian can’t be separated from the “Russian world” conception and one shouldn’t follow russophobic tendencies. Another outcome of the annexation of Crimea is international isolation?

“If we don’t head to the economy of knowledge in the 21 century, we’ll return to the agrarian society which will drug out miserable existence”, he said.

Sergei Mitrokhin reminded that all the agricultural equipment was delivered from abroad therefore it’s hard to talk about the substitution of import. YABLOKO leader also emphasized that the authorizes managed to withdraw the citizens’ attention from the problems of corruption, education and health by patriotic rethoric.

“We don’t say that one should give away Crimea so easily. It would have been the same populist decision as the illegitimate referendum. It would lead to a civil war. We suggest that a fully legitimate referendum should be conducted – with the agreement of Ukraine and under control of international organisations”, stated Mitrokhin.

YABLOKO leader emphasized that it’s vital to conduct an international conference where all the issues should be discussed openly. All this is impossible without settling the situation in the East where Russia actually is leading a hidden, undeclared war.

Mitrokhin emphasized that the results of the las election show that YABLOKO’s stance found support within the citizens. YABLOKO openly expressed its supposedly unpopular position and proposed a memorandum for the candidates to sign.

Results: the approximate result to the Moscow City DumA was 12,5 percent, in some of the electoral districts YABLOKO candidates gained 30 percent, YABLOKO win in Korolyev and got outstanding results in Zhukovsky and Kashira [the Mosocw region] where the authorities didn’t everything to carry out election fraud.

YABLOKO called to participate in all the election that will take place next year both local and regional.

“I call you to start active preparation for the elections to the State Duma of 2016. The preparation for this election will take place within tough conditions. Not only the stability of the regime but the state integrity may be in question. But the election is the only platform where we can legitimately struggle for power”, he stated.

The politician called to take into consideration all the mistakes that had been made by the opposition whose activity has dropped since 2011.

“There should be no signs of Sergei Udaltsov’s policy and no revolutionary romantics today, the same as illegibility of political connections”, he stressed.

Sergei Mitrokhin said that YABLOKO was ready to create a coalition of democratic forces but without those infected by the viruses of nationalism and populist radicalism.

He stressed that YABLOKO stood against oligarchy.

“We are going different ways with the parties which sympathize with oligarchy. Heading to the future with such parties means putting oligarchs on the lists of power pork”, he stated.

“When creating a coalition one should think of not those who will help to do away with the current authorities but those who will help building a new democratic modern Russia”, summed up Sergei Mitrokhin.

“We’ll do away with all the problems and changes we might face due to the guidance of those principles and programmed that we’ve developed. If we manage to overcome this hard time ourselves, we will not just survive, we will become the strongest and win”, concluded YABLOKO leader.