Moscow, 27 June: Former Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and a group of well-know opposition and public figures have backed the idea of staging a Moscow referendum and condemned the "repressive slant" of the Russian authorities' policies.

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Kudrin's website (http://akudrin.ru) has reported that a working meeting was held in Moscow on Wednesday (27 June), which, in addition to the former finance minister, was attended by Prokhorov, (Republican Party of Russia leader) Vladimir Ryzhkov, (vice-president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs) Igor Yurgens, (liberal economist) Sergey Aleksashenko, (former co-chairman of the Right Cause party) Leonid Gozman, (liberal economist) Yevgeniy Gontmakher, (A Just Russia MP) Gennadiy Gudkov, (a leading member of the Yabloko party) Sergey Ivanenko, (businessman) Konstantin Merzlikin, (liberal economist) Andrey Nechayev and (journalist) Sergey Parkhomenko.

file photo"The possibility of cooperation at the upcoming regional elections was discussed. Support was expressed for the popular initiative of holding a Moscow referendum, and condemnation of the repressive slant of recent state policies," Kudrin's website reported.

A source told Interfax that the meeting had been convened at the initiative of Kudrin and Vladimir Ryzhkov, co-chairman of the Republican Party of Russia - Parnas (People's Freedom Party).

One of those who took part in the discussion, journalist Sergey Parkhomenko, told Interfax that he had been invited to attend it by Kudrin. "Everyone stated his point of view on the events that occurred in last few months and his forecast for upcoming events. I, for instance, spoke about the prospects of the Moscow referendum. My account of this initiative was met with great enthusiasm," Parkhomenko said.
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Parkhomenko did not rule out that this kind of exchange of views could become a regular feature. "If I am invited to talk to the same set of people, I shall gladly come. I thought the discussion was interesting," the journalist said. At the same time Parkhomenko said that the participants in the meeting had not discussed the creation of any public organization, movement of party. "I did not notice anything of the kind," Parkhomenko replied when asked this question.

Keywords: Russia, Government, Politics - Russian News - Russia

Moscow, 27 June: Former Finance Minister Aleksey Kudrin, billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and a group of well-know opposition and public figures have backed the idea of staging a Moscow referendum and condemned the "repressive slant" of the Russian authorities' policies.

file photo
Kudrin's website (http://akudrin.ru) has reported that a working meeting was held in Moscow on Wednesday (27 June), which, in addition to the former finance minister, was attended by Prokhorov, (Republican Party of Russia leader) Vladimir Ryzhkov, (vice-president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs) Igor Yurgens, (liberal economist) Sergey Aleksashenko, (former co-chairman of the Right Cause party) Leonid Gozman, (liberal economist) Yevgeniy Gontmakher, (A Just Russia MP) Gennadiy Gudkov, (a leading member of the Yabloko party) Sergey Ivanenko, (businessman) Konstantin Merzlikin, (liberal economist) Andrey Nechayev and (journalist) Sergey Parkhomenko.

file photo"The possibility of cooperation at the upcoming regional elections was discussed. Support was expressed for the popular initiative of holding a Moscow referendum, and condemnation of the repressive slant of recent state policies," Kudrin's website reported.

A source told Interfax that the meeting had been convened at the initiative of Kudrin and Vladimir Ryzhkov, co-chairman of the Republican Party of Russia - Parnas (People's Freedom Party).

One of those who took part in the discussion, journalist Sergey Parkhomenko, told Interfax that he had been invited to attend it by Kudrin. "Everyone stated his point of view on the events that occurred in last few months and his forecast for upcoming events. I, for instance, spoke about the prospects of the Moscow referendum. My account of this initiative was met with great enthusiasm," Parkhomenko said.
file photo

Parkhomenko did not rule out that this kind of exchange of views could become a regular feature. "If I am invited to talk to the same set of people, I shall gladly come. I thought the discussion was interesting," the journalist said. At the same time Parkhomenko said that the participants in the meeting had not discussed the creation of any public organization, movement of party. "I did not notice anything of the kind," Parkhomenko replied when asked this question.