The liberals of the South Caucasus continue the Potsdam process

A conference "Potsdam process. Promoting freedom, peace and prosperity in the Caucasian world" was held  on July 13-15 in Tbilisi.

    It was organized by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation "For Freedom" and gathered  the , members of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR), members of  Musavat party (Azerbaijan), Armenian National Movement (Armenia), the Republican Party (Georgia) in Tbilisi.

    The conference discussed the political situation in South Caucasus, where special attention  was paid to elections in the three countries of the region, as a key stage in the political transformation of political systems from authoritarianism to democracy in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

    Particular attention was paid to the further development of the Potsdam process, the agreement  of three parties of the South Caucasian countries  on creation  a prosperous, stable and democratic Caucasus.

    In October 2010, in Potsdam, Isa Gambar,the chairman of "Musavat"  party of Azerbaijan, David Usupashvili, chairman of the Republican Party of Georgia,   and Aram Manukian, from the Armenian National Movement, signed the Potsdam Declaration in order to take further steps to assert the principles of democracy and stop the suffering of the peoples of conflict, violence, corruption, violations of human rights and civil liberties.

    The parties agreed to cooperate in establishing the fundamental principles of democracy, the rights to life, liberty and equality before the law, the inviolability of property and free market economy, the election of the government through free and fair elections, transparency in public administration, etc.

    The strategic goal  is joining the European space, as a major factor in resolving conflicts and establishing a lasting, long-term peace and prosperity in the region.

     The meeting participants reviewed  the events in the  South Caucasus  over  the past two years, and agreed further joint efforts to promote the ideas of the Potsdam process, including the number of joint activities and events,  development of  new solutions,  discussion of  which began at the current  meeting in Tbilisi.—0—