December 2001
Minsk
We, leaders and representatives of socialist and social democratic parties of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and Baltic countries, who convened for a meeting of the EASDF (Eastern European Social Democratic Forum) Consultative Council, are pleased to state that in our countries socialists and social democrats are steadily gaining political authority.
Fraternal relations between our parties are being consolidated. The arsenal of forms and methods of inter-party cooperation is broadening. Contacts between the parties and their leaders are reaching the level of interstate projects.
We declare our decisiveness to keep consolidating the relations between our parties, to make more active our common efforts aimed at strengthening of economic and political cooperation between our peoples and countries, to defend working people's interests, to resolutely fight for strict observance of human rights, to contribute to the development of democratic processes in our countries.
We confirm our solidarity with our traditional social partners - trade unions - and express our support for their activity and readiness to cooperate further.
We strongly protest against persecution of our comrades for political activity.
We welcome consolidation process of social democratic forces in our countries.
We are ready to constructively cooperate with all forces that share our ideas and are capable of realizing them.
We confirm our readiness to cooperate with the Socialist International and heartily greet its member parties.
To make our common work even more purposeful and effective we support the
