From 26–29 March, the Congress of the International Union of Socialist Youth took place in Istanbul, Turkey. The Congress is the highest decision-making body of the organization, responsible for electing new leadership and determining its policies, directions, and positions for the upcoming mandate by adopting resolutions and policy papers. The meeting was hosted by the youth organization of the Republican People’s Party, of Turkey.
The Armenian Youth Federation participated in the Congress with a delegation consisting of Syune Gevorgyan (Armenia), Tatev Der Mardirosian (Armenia), and Christ Proudian (France). During the Congress, the delegation raised several key issues, including the right of return of the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh, the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian hostages held in Baku, and the regression of democracy in Armenia, as well as the persecution of opposition forces, including members of the AYF and its mother party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
In addition, the delegation held bilateral meetings with representatives of various youth organizations from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
However, due to pressure from the Turkish government, particularly targeting CHP, the largest opposition force of the Turkish parliament, and under the pretext of security measures, police entered the Congress venue and prevented any political discussion or debate. As a result, the Congress was interrupted, and the adoption of all resolutions was postponed. Only the elections were conducted before the Congress was formally closed, without any resolutions or substantive political debates taking place.
The International Union of Socialist Youth is a global umbrella organization bringing together more than 150 socialist, social democratic, and labor youth organizations from over 110 countries.
