Naryshkin awaiting West's response to registration of UNA-UNSO as party in Ukraine
MOSCOW. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, has described the Ukrainian Justice Ministry's decision to register the Ukrainian People's Assembly-Ukrainian People's Self-Defense (UNA-UNSO) as a political party as a 'democracy knowledge test' for Western countries.
"In my opinion, this fact [the registration of the UNA-UNSO, which is outlawed in Russia, as a party in Ukraine] comes as another test for our European and American partners and colleagues. I wonder what rapturous words they will use to praise this latest manifestation of democracy in Ukraine," Naryshkin told a Friday meeting of the Russian working group for the legal analysis of Ukraine's laws.
"It became known a few days ago that the Justice Ministry of Ukraine had registered an odious, notorious and essentially pro-fascist organization - UNA-UNSO - as a political party," he said.
"The program of this organization makes it absolutely clear that the ideology of this organization is Ukrainian nationalism. I quote: 'our ideology is Ukrainian nationalism as the ideology of the nation's self-affirmation'," Naryshkin said.
The Russian Supreme Court has outlawed the UNA-UNSO and has branded it as an extremist organization.
Meanwhile, a report published on the UNA-UNSO website says that on August 20 this organization was registered by Ukraine's Justice Ministry as a political party and it would run in local elections set for October of this year. A photocopy of the party's registration certificate was posted on the website as well.
"In accordance with its charter, the main goals of the political party are to develop the independent, sovereign, law-abiding, social and democratic state; to participate in forming state institutions of power, local and regional governments, and gain representation in them by taking part in elections and other political events; to modernize the state based on the principle of justice, transparency and the absence of corruption, as well as help formulate and express citizens' political will and defend human rights," the UNA-UNSO said.