MOSCOW. Sept 25 (Interfax) - A number of political and public figures in Russia, including former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, spoke with the initiative to create a nationwide public movement which would unite supporters of social democracy.

"We, people of different ages and professions, staying loyal to the traditions of national and world social democracy, call on all supporters of the social democratic development in Russia to unite into a nationwide public movement," the activists' group said in a statement obtained by Interfax on Tuesday.

"The main motive of this appeal is our concern about today's situation, the desire to facilitate the formation and development of Russia as a modern democratic country," the statement read.

"After the bankruptcy of the Soviet model of bureaucratic socialism and the evident failure of neo-liberal economic reforms in the 1990s it became obvious that the social democratic course in politics is most consistent with the interests of the majority of Russian citizens," the statement said.

"Essentially, it is being acknowledged by many Russian politicians, including the president," the authors said.

"But in effect, laws were passed which restrict possibilities of a free democratic choice and political competition, significantly narrow the space for public politics, toughen control over nonprofit organizations, increases pressure on the civil society in general," the statement said.

"The Supreme Court rulings closed down a number of parties, including the Russian Social Democratic Party and other parties similar to it," the document said.

Meanwhile, "the social democratic values did not become less attractive in our society," the authors said.

"In these conditions, there is a danger of a cynical manipulation of social democratic language by the political elite for strengthening its political domination and economic situation," the statement said.

The authors are going "to make their personal contribution in making Russia a modern democratic country, where human rights are being respected and the spiritual and economic freedoms co-exist with social justice."

"We are calling on you to join the social democratic movement, to make it an influential public force which would form a public opinion and which would be taken into consideration by the authorities," the statement said.

Among those who signed the appeal are former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, publicist Genrikh Borovik, former State Duma member Vyacheslav Igrunov, economist Pavel Kudyukin, former Soviet Young Communist League official Viktor Mironenko, economist Ruslan Grinberg, economist and former Moscow mayor Gavriil Popov, journalist Lyudmila Telen, economist Nikolai Shmelev, playwright Mikhail Shatrov and others.