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On September 24-25 in St Petersburg the First Eurasian Women’s Forum was held, which was dedicated to the issues of social well-being and sustainable development, international action to build trust and achieve progress, empowerment of women in problems of social security and sustainable development, for international cooperation of progress and trust, changing economy, the women’s possibilities in the politics and the expansion of their participation and social integrity in the CIS territory.

Members of the parliaments, representatives of executive bodies, business community, scientific-educational organizations and the NGOs from different countries, and influential and authoritative numerous leaders of the worldwide international feminist movement took part in the Forum which was held in the Northern Capital of Russia.

At the official invitation of Valentina Matvienko, Chairperson of the IPA CIS Council, a delegation from Armenia led by the Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan, the Co-Chair of the Armenian side of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee of Cooperation between the RA NA and RF Federal Assembly, took part in the works of the Eurasian Women’s Forum.

Representatives of different parliamentary factions, including Naira Zohrabyan, Ruzanna Muradyan, Lyudmila Sargsyan, as well as prominent women from public, information, healthcare and cultural spheres, the RA Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Jemma Baghdasaryan, the Chair of the Financial-Economic Committee of Yerevan Municipality Naira Nahapetyan, the Chair of the Association Women with University Education Jemma Hasratyan, Editor-in-Chief of Golos Armenii Russian newspaper Flora Nakhshkaryan, Director of Yerevan Ambulance Service Taguhi Stepanyan, the General Director of Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall and the APO General Manager Ruzanna Sirunyan and others were in the women's Armenian Delegation and with their speeches and active participation were involved in different thematic debates of the Forum.

At the opening of the plenary session in Tavrichesky Palace with the heading “Women in the Modern World: New Horizons of Cooperation” which was moderated by the Speaker of the RF Federation Council of the Federal Assembly Valentina Matvienko and the NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan delivered a speech, where she particularly highlighted the women’s social, cultural and political activeness in modern life, raised issues of legislative provision of gender equality in the Eurasian territory, their representation in the bodies of power and of importance of joint combat against violence and social unwell-being.

Hermine Naghdalyan especially conveyed the attendees’ her anxiety which was conditioned by the escalation of tension in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan Armed Forces, and as a mother, called on with appeal to the actions.

“Both Armenian and Azerbaijani women, mothers and children equally suffer,” noted Hermine Naghdalyan in her speech, underlining that Armenia always pursued a policy of peace and not escalating the situation, meanwhile in the neighbouring country we don’t witness them.

The participants of the Eurasian Women’s Forum mainly emphasized the deepening of the integration processes of the Eurasian Economic Union, the CIS states and Shanghai Cooperation Organization, conditioning the urgency of the Forum by the increase of the women’s role in the Eurasian territory, as well as the inner and international problems.

As not all the participants could deliver speeches, hence the non voiced speeches will be posted on the website of the Forum and will be published in the book under preparation. All the members of the Armenian Delegation gave speeches and took part in the debates.

In her speech the Chair of the Prosperous Armenia Party, the NA deputy Naira Zohrabyan touched upon the women’s involvement in the provision of general security and stability in the world, the NA deputy Ruzanna Muradyan in her turn underlined the importance of the women’s role in the politics and administration, considering it a factor of sustainable development of the society, and the Chairperson of the RA Small HPPs’ Union Naira Nahapetyan drew the attendees’ attention to the necessity of the programmes directed to the women’s economic activity, entrepreneurship and small business.

The Azerbaijani delegates made unsuccessful attempts to escalate the situation, making accusations, the answer of which was voiced at all four dispute platforms by our delegates.

During the debates of the four themes of the Forum our delegates raised issues of economic, healthcare, cultural priority, as well as the regional situation, the endangered peace and the everyday tensions on the border.

The NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan, making a report in the Eurasian Women’s Forum on “Women and Power: World’s Agenda of Sustainable Development,” as a coordinator of the dispute platform presented her observations related to the problems of the protection of the human rights and dignity, combat against all kinds of violence, social security, education, healthcare, priority of employment.

“We understand that in our state the women’s cares and non solved problems are not few, the creation of such conditions is prior in order the women can fully fulfill their opportunities through combining the family and professional life,” in her speech, at the same time noting that the Government of Armenia does its best for the solution of those problems.

“The women’s active participation in the political life of the Eurasian Union is a necessity. Our society cannot harmonically develop and advance if the woman’s role is low there,” underlined the NA Deputy Speaker, adding that in politics the men’s and women’s cooperation is more complete and representational source of democracy.

The NA Deputy Speaker Hermine Naghdalyan had meetings with the delegations and heads of Russia, China, Iran, Serbia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The First Eurasian Women’s Forum held on September 24-25 ended its work by adopting a final document, where the participants of the Forum underlined the necessity of peace and security, the rise of women’s role, the fulfillment of the global goals of the sustainable development, the implementation of the new agenda in the sphere of development during the period after 2015 of the UN and at the elections of all levels, in the public-political life, as well as the women’s comprehensive and guaranteed participation in the development of economy and modernization.

The participants of the Forum were awarded the Tree of Life international prize and the Eurasian Women’s Forum award.